100 Years of la Rinascente
04 October 2017
In 2017, la Rinascente celebrates its 100th year under the name of this great Milanese company.
In 2017, la Rinascente celebrates the 100th year of its name under the name of this great Milanese company. From May 24th to September 24th at Palazzo Reale, the exhibition LR100 – Rinascente: Stories of Innovation explores a century of style and culture, both of Milan and Italy.
In 2017 la Rinascente marks the 100 anniversary of its name. The name was devised by Gabriele D’Annunzio commissioned by Senatore Borletti, who had bought the Bocconi department store in 1917, driving its rebirth – or “rinascita”. So began a long story, which from the very beginning of the 20th century had a huge effect on the modern modes of consumption which led Milan to be a main economic driver of post-unification Italy. To celebrate this landmark, the Milan City Council | Culture, Palazzo Reale and La Rinascente have joined forces to spell out this story across the rooms of the Appartamento del Principe (Prince’s quarters) on the piano nobile of Palazzo Reale, with an exhibit curated by Sandrina Bandera and Maria Canella, historians specializing in art, society and costume.
(Photo: Libiszewski, photo shoot on the rooftop of the Piazza del Duomo department store la Rinascente, 1966-1967, Serge Libiszewski archive, Milan)
Brand New Perspectives
Featuring artworks, graphic design, design objects, historic images and previously unseen exhibits, the exhibition bears witness to how La Rinascente has contributed to important chapters in the history of costume, communication and retail. From its very origins, La Rinascente has served as an experimental space in which to explore the latest ideas from the rest of Europe. Its innovative sales model, borrowing from French influences, of displaying merchandise on shelves at fixed prices not only became a cornerstone of the modern economy but also led to significant changes in the everyday life of the growing consumer society. It set the standards for the industry, revolutionizing both the feminine and the masculine image, and encouraging the development of production systems in fashion and design that would become key pillars of the ‘Made in Italy’ concept. The exhibition recreates an image of the company and its key players, setting it within the context of a Milan which in the 19th and 20th centuries was growing into its international role as the capital not only of finance and commerce, but also of publishing, communication, fashion and design. It is no coincidence that the event is being hosted by Palazzo Reale, a cultural institution in Milan and its main exhibition venue, a mere stone’s throw from the Duomo, the Galleria, the La Scala theatre and la Rinascente itself.
La Rinascente, a Vehicle of Modernity…
The exhibition brings together an extraordinary amount of material, both physical objects and reproductions, discovered and selected over the course of two years of research, all brought together in the la Rinascente Archives portal. The exhibit focuses on the various areas in which the company has shown an ability to both plan and execute projects, proving itself to be a catalyst of modernity and innovation. The story of La Rinascente is reconstructed through hundreds of original documents, (publications, legal documents, press materials, photographs, videos), either present in the exhibition or displayed through videos and slideshows.
Also brand new is the reconstruction of La Rinascente’s buildings, interiors and window displays – both internal and external- many of which were designed by renowned artists and designers in order to attract and influence the clientele (a prime example being Franco Albini and Franca Helg’s design for the store in Rome’s Piazza Fiume). In the fashion area of the exhibition, a series of slideshows reproduce portraits and photographs depicting the changing tastes and styles of both the Milanese and Italian clientele, from the original Bocconi stores to the Rinascente we see today.
(Photo: Silvio Pasetti, Omaggio A Krizia, 1995 – Acrylic On Canvas, 130 X 200 Cm)
…in Art, Communication and Design
The exhibition tells the stories of images, objects, events and people. Particularly noteworthy is the large space dedicated to the artists who played a major role in shaping the cultural climate of the era, and to the young collaborators who, thanks to the experimental space provided by la Rinascente, would become the protagonists of new creative movements from fashion to design, from graphics to communication, from management to industry. The revolutionary ideas of the latest important artistic movements, such as those of Gropius, Le Corbusier and Kandinsky, would pave the way for constructive dialogues with the graphicists and designers of la Rinascente, who would develop a particular style in which the close relationship with art was unmistakable. This explains the exhibition’s use of a wide variety of artworks from the artists of the era, including Dudovich, Depero, Munari, Melotti, Fontana, Soldati, Cerolie, Rotella, Warhol, Pistoletto, Manzoni and many others.
Concept and Exhibition Design
To curate and host an exhibition about la Rinascente not only means plunging into the history and archives of La Rinascente, but also into the history of Milan itself. The Palazzo Reale exhibition has been conceived as a living archive that invites the visitor to discover all it has to offer through a series of visual, physical and multimedia experiences: eleven rooms full of surprises in which design, fashion, society, art and communication take the spotlight. This is not a clear linear journey, but a collage of artifacts, identities, people, and objects that, with the same variety for which the store is known, demonstrate la Rinascente’s success story in the realm of European department stores.
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