Between History and Eternity
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The Celebration Journal No. 1 1884 2009 BETWEEN HISTORY AND ETERNITY handed down from Byzantine times. The power of the Greco- historical material, brought together for the first time, 125 years of Italian jewellery Roman vocabulary on the one hand and nearly 2,000 years of naturally had to be shared with the public: thus, the technical mastery on the other equipped the young Sotirio retrospective which I have the honour of curating. by Amanda Triossi, with courage, vision and a special sensitivity to the artistic The exhibition, which opens in Rome in late spring, will Curator of the upcoming Bulgari exhibition tenor of world around him that enabled him to challenge both celebrate both the founder and the history shared by Bulgari at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome geographical and stylistic boundaries. and the Eternal City. Moreover, 2009 marks the 125th Until the early decades of the 20th century, Bulgari was an anniversary of the opening of the first Bulgari shop in Rome. advocate of the Art Déco movement that was destined to It is here that a new vision began to grow and spread. Years of research in the Bulgari archives have come to fruition change the taste of the entire Western world and from that Today, Bulgari is the premiere maker of coloured gemstone with an in-depth look at the history of this extraordinary brand point forward has continued to introduce key technical and jewellery in the world, and its style, founded on the Roman and what it represents in the world today. The assembly and aesthetic innovations to the field. After the extravagance of distillation of the Greek heritage, is recognized everywhere, analysis of historical documents has enabled us to reconstruct the fifties and the chromatic renaissance of the following unmistakable in all its many evolutions. a remarkable story that spans centuries and international decade, Bulgari captured the glamour that lay at the heart of The Palazzo delle Esposizioni, built just a few hundred meters borders, tracing the course for the taste of innovation and the Pop Art movement during the seventies, and then from the places where the young Sotirio Bulgari, in those detail that has become an unmistakable style in its own right. changed the way we make and think about jewellery yet same years, established his reputation as a master jeweller, Bulgari occupies a significant chapter in the history of again in the wild eighties by introducing the prêt-à-porter will display 400 of the best jewels, watches and decorative jewellery making, which begins with Sotirio Bulgari, the concept to the luxury sector. objects produced by Bulgari throughout its history. company’s founder. The uniqueness of his vision; the In more recent years, long and tireless research has culminated The majority have never been seen before in public, having originality of his incorporation of classical Greece and Rome in the creation of an historical archive and a permanent spent decades in private collections and safes. Additional into the ethos of his own time; the boldness of his journey, like collection of landmark Bulgari jewels which recount and works from the private Bulgari Vintage Collection will also a modern-day Odyssey, that would take him to Corfu and explain the monograph that is Bulgari’s rich history. This be exhibited, alongside drawings, historic documents and Naples and finally to the capital of the newly unified Italian massive effort required the reorganization of a cultural photographs of famous clients: businessmen, aristocrats, Republic, have even older and deeper roots. heritage comprising many thousands of documents, artists, film stars. In short, an exhibition not to be missed, Born in 1857 in the Epirus Mountains, the range crossed by photographs and original sketches, along with selecting and whether one be an aficionado of history, a devotee of this the Acheron (the River Styx of legend) and presided over by locating the finest Bulgari creations of the past 125 years, most magnificent of Italian luxury brands, or simply eager the Temple of Zeus at Dodona, Sotirio Bulgari was raised in a many of which had to be tracked down and reacquired with no to share in the glamour that Bulgari has epitomized for more world of myth and metal smithery, a vital art of his region small amount of difficulty. Such a wealth of fascinating than a century. Portrait of Sotirio Bulgari The importance of roots by Paolo Bulgari, President of the Bulgari Group In such a delicate historical moment as this, characterized by uncertainty the world over, it is nonetheless important for us to revisit our roots and celebrate 125 years of a history that partakes three different centuries. In 1884, when my grandfather Sotirio founded the company that continues to bear his name, the world was clearly a very different place. So, the opportunity to commemorate his tenacity and the determination of the generations that followed – my father Giorgio, his children, our nephew Francesco – thanks to which the company has prospered, is understandably a source of pride. Even more satisfying is the knowledge that the values of one man, passed on to us, his family, have since become values shared by the thousands of people who work for Bulgari in numerous countries around the world. The conviction that aesthetic beauty enriches people’s lives, an uncompromising commitment to quality, and a respect for everyone who collaborates with the company have always been the values that guide us, and thanks to this we shall look forward to our next 125 years with optimism and serenity. 1965: necklace with precious and semi-precious stones in contrasting colours. 38 carats of turquoise, 88.50 carats of cabochon-cut emeralds, 22 carats of cabochon-cut amethysts and 72 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds. 1884 2009 REWRITE THE FUTURE AND SAVE THE CHILDREN Bulgari and its clients give their support to eight million of the world’s most vulnerable children by Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, General Secretary of the International Save the Children Alliance I would like to thank Bulgari for its support for Save rights sanctioned by the UN Convention on the the Children’s «Rewrite the Future» campaign. Rights of the Child at the centre of their policy. By taking part in the campaign, Bulgari and its clients Through the «Rewrite the Future» campaign, Save will make a difference to some of the most vulnerable the Children has made a commitment to ensure that, children in the world. by 2010, eight million children living in countries Save the Children is the world’s biggest ravaged by war will get a good-quality education. independent international organization working for Already, our campaign has created a solid the promotion and protection of children’s rights. foundation for long-term change in the lives of Founded in 1919, we work in more than 120 nearly six million children. We have built schools, countries around the world, with a network of supplied teaching materials and protected children national organizations. The international secretariat, from all forms of violence. the International Save the Children Alliance serves A silver ring, featuring an engraving of the Save the in a consulting capacity on the United Nations Children logo on the inside, has been created Economic and Social Council. specially for the «Rewrite the Future» campaign. Save the Children is developing hundreds of The ring bears witness to the commitment of programs in the areas of education, emergency Bulgari, and all those who wear it, to Save the response, healthcare, nutrition and protection Children and to the children we support. against child labour and abuse. We put pressure on governments and institutions to put the children’s Valerio Neri, General Director of Save the Children Italia; Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, General Secretary of the International Save the Children Alliance; Francesco Trapani, CEO of the Bulgari Group. Foto: Save the Children Foto: Save the Children Joseph, 10 years old, embraces his books in a school in Bahr el Ghazal, southern Sudan. The elementary school of Busamba, in the Rwenzori mountain range, has only four trees to demarcate the ‘classrooms’. If it rains, school is over. Save the Children is funding a new building in this area. www.bulgari.com 1884 2009 BEING PART OF HISTORY MEANS BEING ABLE TO CHANGE IT A concrete commitment to improving the children’s future by Francesco Trapani, Chief Executive Officer of the Bulgari Group For Bulgari, the best way to celebrate its 125th anniversary is to participate, with joy and dedication, in Save the Children’s «Rewrite the Future» campaign, which is aimed at providing education, and thus a better future to millions of children suffering from the consequences of war and conflict. This is an initiative that is both unprecedented in scale and totally consistent with Bulgari’s commitment to the education of young people around the world, an ambitious project of concrete solidarity whose goal I hope we will not only achieve but, with the help of our clients and Save the Children’s supporters, even surpass. Save the Children is the world’s foremost international organization for the protection of children’s rights. Bulgari has chosen to offer support to one of its most important campaigns by collecting ten million euros, one of which has already been donated, with the rest coming in over the course of the year. Each of the silver rings that we have dedicated to Save the Children will be transformed into schools, teacher training courses and programs to protect children from violence and to reintegrate child-soldiers into society. In addition to the silver ring, Bulgari has created a limited collection of special pieces of high jewellery and watches with an overall value of three million euros.