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Venues Fondazione Antonio Ratti Villa Sucota via per Cernobbio 19 Como Villa Bernasconi Via Regina 7 Cernobbio (CO) Date June 18th – September 18th 2016 Opening times Monday to Friday: 2pm to 6pm Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 7pm Special openings and guided tours available upon request Press office Ellecistudio Tel. 031 301037 [email protected] [email protected]
EXHIBITION
Paisley pattern, marks in movement
June 18th – September 18th 2016 Villa Sucota, Como – Villa Bernasconi, Cernobbio
The boteh or paisley pattern – also referred to as Cachemire in Italian – is a seducing design with ancient origins that recalls exotic fantasies and remote countries. This drop with a curved extremity has been drawn and re-drawn in countless variations. Very few decorative motifs have left such a marked trace in the history of textiles and fashion, which are still cast under its magical spell today. The exhibition “Paisley pattern, marks in movement”, curated by Margherita Rosina and Francina Chiara, is organized by Fondazione Antonio Ratti (FAR) in partnership with Comune di Cernobbio. It will be held from June 18th to September 18th 2016 at Villa Sucota in Como and Villa Bernasconi in Cernobbio. The paisley design is a contemporary classic, present in many historical archives of the textile manufacturers of Como. It has long provided various chances for textile operators – from designers to technicians – to display their outstanding skills, which are now recognized around the world as the soul of Como’s textile industry. More than 150 exhibits – ranging from textiles to scarves, dresses, accessories and ties – will guide visitors across an itinerary that traces the evolution of this mythical pattern in different countries and historical periods. The exhibition The chronological and thematic itinerary of the exhibition enhances both ancient textiles from the FAR collection and modern fabrics, lent for the occasion by the archives of the textile industries operating in the Como district. The display includes many Indian and European shawls, never exhibited before and purposefully restored. These artefacts originally belonged to Antonio Ratti’s personal collection: the entrepreneur collected shawls throughout his life and was so deeply fascinated by the paisley motif to make it the iconic symbol of his textile production. In addition, a selection of dresses shows how paisley has been decorating dresses since the nineteenth century. Among the historical pieces there are a 1907 – Drecoll evening cloak, a velvet caraco, created in the Middle-East at the end of the XIX century and a kimono shape gown, part of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s wardrobe for guests, lent by the Vittoriale. Fashion is also greatly represented by a Valentino dress, worn by Patty Pravo for a photoshoot published by Vogue magazine, a white lace chemisier by Daniel Hetcher and other creations by Mila Schön, Lancetti and Gianfranco Ferré Haute Couture. The history of the paisley pattern The history of the paisley pattern is so ancient that it goes back to the Mesopotamian civilization. The motif later became widely used in the Indian region of Kashmir for the decoration of shawls worn by men and women to protect themselves from adverse climate conditions. It reached Europe following the commercial routes of the British East India Company in the seventeenth century. The pattern gained a certain popularity during the Napoleonic age. It is reported that in 1809 Napoleon’s first wife Josephine Beauharnais, a fashion icon of the time, owned 33 dresses made with precious shawls coming directly from India.
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From the 1830s, European manufacturers began their own production of figured and printed shawls, re-interpreting the Indian tradition. From the second half of the nineteenth century, the curved drop motif was combined with the baroque volute in the creation of shawls but also luxurious silks, light wools, ribbons and laces. The emphasised exoticism that inspired these new artefacts had no geographic boundaries. In the twentieth century the popularity of the paisley pattern increased in three moments: firstly during the years between the two world wars when the production of ties and male accessories grew and Como’s textile industries started blooming; then, during the post War World Two era when the textile district flourished; lastly, during the 1980s when the use of scarves, shawls and textiles with paisley designs became “must have” items for every elegant lady. During that period Como’s manufacturers achieved unparalleled success for their creations for haute couture tailors and international prêt à porter designers, shown on the catwalks in Milan and Paris. Catalogue For the exhibition a bilingual catalogue will be published by NodoLibri, Como. The book is edited by Margherita Rosina and Francina Chiara and features contributions by leading scholars, including Enrica Morini and Marialuisa Rizzini. Exhibition venues The exhibition will take place at Villa Sucota and Villa Bernasconi, located at short distance from each other on the western shore of Lake Como, an area of great natural beauty as well as cultural charm. Headquarters of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti since 2010, Villa Sucota and its park are part of the Chilometro della conoscenza, a green promenade that connects the parks of three historical villas of Lake Como (Villa Olmo, Villa Del Grumello and Villa Sucota). Villa Sucota holds several exhibition rooms and laboratories, the FA textile collection and a library specialized in contemporary art and textile. Opened in April 2016, the park combines a landscape of rare beauty with installations of temporary and permanent artworks. Villa Bernasconi is such a remarkable example of Art Nouveau architecture in Italy that it is part of the circuit "Route européenne de l'Art Nouveau". The Villa, now owned by the Comune di Cernobbio, was built in 1905 by the architect Alfredo Campanini for the entrepreneur Davide Bernasconi, one of the pioneers of the silk industry in Como. Both the exterior and interior decorations of the villa were inspired by botanical themes related to textile design, including high reliefs depicting the cycle of the silkworm and tiles shaped as mulberry flowers. Opening hours From Monday to Friday: 2pm - 6pm From Saturday to Sunday: 10 am - 7pm Monday closed Special openings and guided tours available upon request Tickets Full price: € 8 Concession price: € 5 (under 25, over 65 and conventions) Info Tel. +39 031 3384976 [email protected] - www.fondazioneratti.org
