Rome is a reflection of the history that runs through its streets. Walking through the Italian capital, the sight does not rest between buildings, ruins and museums. They all speak of the spirit of a city, the city where in 1884 it was founded the prestigious Bvlgari. It would be impossible that the soul of a place with those characteristics would not impregnate the designs of the Italian brand. With the exhibition “Bvlgari and Rome”, the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum tries to show visitors how the architecture and art of the ancient and modern Rome have been the inspiration for the Maison Bvlgari for decades.
Bvlgari store in Rome
From November 29 to February 26 2017, the Paseo del Prado No. 8 will host more than 140 pieces of the Bvlgari Heritage Collection, along with several works of the Baroness Thyssen, which will be linked to the Roman monuments, engravings and paintings in which they are inspired.
Guy Bourdin picture for Vogue Paris, 1961
In the exhibition, there will be also pieces that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor and Anna Magnani. Along with these, over thirty paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs from various European artists who have immortalized the city of Rome in their work, as Canaletto, Gaspar van Wittel, Ippolito Caffi or Arthur John Strutt are also exhibited. These works come mostly from the Museum of Rome (Palazzo Braschi), but also from the Borghese Gallery, the Capitoline Museums and the collections of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank and the Círculo de la Caza.
It is not the first time that the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum devotes part of its program to the world of fashion and luxury. “The Art of Cartier” (2012) or “Hubert of Givenchy” (2014) showed the passion of Carmen Thyssen for fashion and gems, who has a collection that goes far beyond the artworks. Her jewellery box treasures one of the largest private collections of Bvlgari jewellery in the world, and have been assigned in the past for exhibitions that the Italian firm organizes around the world, as the one held in the Grand Palais in Paris in 2011, or the one held in the legendary store in Rome in 2014.
Heritage Collection: Decades of Art
The Heritage Collection consists of over 600 unique pieces. Jewellery, watches and accessories with decades of history that have been acquired at auctions and through private collections for more than 20 years. An archival and documentation work is supplemented with more than 60,000 documents, photos and drawings of the time, which for its quality and conservation are art.
Original sketch from the files of Bvlgari
Gold necklace with emeralds, amethysts, citrines, pink tourmalines, sapphires and diamonds, 1991
According to Lucia Boscaini, curator of the brand, “the Heritage Collection is an inestimable asset for us, because it holds the essence of Bvlgari, highlighting the ability to constantly reinvent himself, while maintaining a strong identity. It is an essential proposal for those who want to dig deeper into Bvlgari, his origins and the fascinating evolution of his style”.
The jeweler Bvlgari Sotirio
The story that tells the Heritage Collection begins with the silverware made in the late nineteenth century by its founder, the Greek Sotirio Bulgari, and continues with the diamond jewellery from the 20s and 30s, inspired by Art Deco. Since then, and over the decades, striking original design creations tell the story of how the jeweller artist Bvlgari acquired his fame (whose name can be expressed with V or U, being both equivalent in the Latin classic alphabet).
Gold necklace with rubies
Gemstones are the protagonists of his creations, from diamonds to the infinite shades of coloured stones. This peculiarity, which raises the luxury of the pieces to a new galaxy of brightness and elegance, is what makes individuals of all ages to have fallen in love with the jewellery brand. There is a special mention for the collection that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor and was acquired again by Bvlgari in 2011. Among these objects, we can find the spectacular engagement ring given to her by Richard Burton, a Colombian emerald of seven carats, or the magnificent necklace made with 50-carat sapphire, also a gift from Burton for the fortieth birthday of the actress.
Elisabeth Taylor with her Bulgari emerald pendant
Rome: inspiration for Bvlgari
In the Madrid exhibition, those jewels, history themselves, are put in relation with the city where they were born. In some of the pieces, the inspiration of Rome is clear. The B.Zero1 Collection, for example, is a tribute to the Roman Colosseum. Its design combines the grandeur of this symbol of the city with the robust lines of modern Italian design.
The Roman Colosseum, inspiration for the B.Zero1 Collection
In a tribute to the Eternal City, the streets, the atmosphere and the history of the Italian capital become the unifying, symbolic and artistic thread of the entire firm. The great respect of the Italians for their tradition and the iconic elegance turn Bvlgari into, with over 130 years of history, part of the history of modern fashion.
Photos provided by Bvlgari
Traductor: Raquel Sánchez
