THE SIGN AND THE SPIRIT
MULTIPLE FURNITURE , SCULPTURES AND JEWELRY

GABRIELLA CRESPI

September 24 –  October 16, 2011

The great anthology dedicated by Palazzo Reale to Gabriella Crespi, promoted by the Municipality of Milano – Cultura and curated by Elisabetta Crespi, daughter and close collaborator of the artist, and Cesare Cunaccia, was conceived and organized by Ottavia Landi di Chiavenna, sponsored by the National Chamber of Italian Fashion and made possible thanks to the exclusive sponsorship of the Mediolanum Farmaceutici S.p.A. Group.

The tribute to the artistic life of Gabriella Crespi starts in Milan, city of origin and creative fulcrum of her creative journey. Artist, designer, sculptor, but also inspiring muse of major international fashion designers, and ambassador of Italian style to the world, Gabriella Crespi is a deeply charismatic figure who, in two decades of intense activity during the 1960’s and 1970’s, left a permanent mark in the design culture of our time.

Gabriella Crespi more than ever is celebrated by numerous publications and the most sophisticated international galleries, auctions, and collectors. This exhibition is a well-merited recognition of this prominent figure of Italian creativity and also offers a perspective on contemporary artistic languages through a free and passionate, but poetic point of view. The show unfolds as a coherent tale that covers all the areas of creativity of Crespi’s art, from furniture to objects, from lighting to sculptures and jewelry. All signed, and still jealously guarded in the private homes of enthusiastic international collectors, who, for the first time ever, have agreed to share and show these masterpieces to the public during the course of this exclusive event at Palazzo Reale.

The exhibition is laid out in thematic areas that allow an easy understanding of Crespi’s creative talent and her personal and cultural life quests: “Lune e Pietra”, a true leitmotif of Gabriella Crespi’s particular poetics, moon-shaped sculptures that have introduced a creative innovation in design; “Plurimi”, the famous series of ‘metamorphic’ pieces of furniture; “Unicum”, a journey through Crespi’s special pieces of furniture and objects that are not part of the various thematic areas, seen as intersections of form and matter; “Rising Sun”, poetic art for the dwelling; “Animals”, bronze sculptures representing a vivid and fairy-tale approach that reveals Crespi’s close attention to the natural world; “Jewelry” and “Gocce Oro” (Golden Drops), free-flowing castings obtained through the ancient and renowned lost-wax technique: chalices, candlesticks and beautiful cutlery sets in settings full of charm; “Window Displays”, a small but significant section of the exhibition that recalls the long close collaboration of the artist with Paolo Paganini, true master and brilliant performer of the still life genre; “India”, Crespi’s spiritual journey through sculptures and photographs, the testimonies of her autobiography.