From September 7th the Moscow Kremlin Museums opens the doors to the retrospective exhibition BVLGARI. Tribute to Femininity, illustrating the evolution of the Bulgari style over more than 100 years. The visionary creativity, taste for beauty and exquisite craftsmanship of the Roman Brand will be told through more than 500 pieces on display, spanning from late 19th century until the 1990s.
BVLGARI. Tribute to Femininity will be on display on the ground floor of the Assumption Belfry and on the ground floor of the Patriarch’s palace. The exhibition traces the close association between Bvlgari’s creative output and the demands and evolving taste of women, changing in parallel with female emancipation. Alongside the cultural and social changes in women’s history, the creations on display celebrate the charisma of women who made their own rules and chose Bvlgari jewels as an embodiment of their personality for both formal and informal occasions.
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- Tiara in platinum with aquamarines and diamonds, 1935. Private Collection of Princess Olimpia Torlonia.
The stunning jewellery anthology will include creations that have never been on public display before such as a marvellous tiara of the 1930s with a beautiful arrangement of aquamarines and diamonds that was worn by Princess Olimpia Torlonia for her wedding day. Also from the 1930s, spectacular convertible pieces in platinum set with diamonds conjure up the fashion of the decade when long necklaces and clips embellished the corset-free flowing dresses that were so suited to dancing the Charleston at parties.
Creations from the flourishing Dolce Vita period are vivid mementoes of the enthusiasm of the most legendary and self-assured film stars for Bvlgari. For the occasion, the complete Bvlgari Heritage Collection of jewels that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor will be on display, evidence of her decided tastes and unerring collector’s eye.
Other impressive pieces come from the collection of the Italian actress Anna Magnani, the unforgettable protagonist of the neorealist film Roma Città Aperta: if on the set she used to play humble characters and struggling women, in her real life she liked to buy herself gorgeous pieces like the most amazing Trombino ring ever crafted by the Maison, featuring a dazzling diamond weighing more than 25 carats.
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- Earrings in platinum with emeralds and diamonds, 1964. Formerly the collection of Gina Lollobrigida.
Emeralds were greatly favoured by another Italian beauty, Gina Lollobrigida, whose earrings in platinum with emerald drops convey all the magnetic divine allure of a gifted artist who is also a talented sculptor and photographer. Not to mention the cabochon sapphires that belonged to Anita Ekberg, whose Dolce Vita scene shot inside the Trevi fountain in a black evening dress will forever symbolise the bohemian exuberance of a magical era gone by.
Another section of the exhibition will showcase the icons of Bvlgari’s creativity as well as pioneering motifs and techniques that subverted the traditional approach to jewellery, gracing dynamic and modern women from day to night. The Parentesi jewels, the first Bvlgari modular collection, exemplify how the Maison was able to leverage on a single element with a strong design that could be replicated and combined with infinite materials. This pioneering prêt-à-porter approach allowed for a wide price range and versatile wearability, from business meetings to evening cocktail parties.
BVLGARI. Tribute to Femininity will run until January 13th, 2019.
