POP 183x Weekend, 13 December 2009

THROUGHOUT DECEMBER WE’LL BE HIGHLIGHTING OUR OFFICE PICKS OF THE YEAR EVERY WEEKEND. TODAY’S POP IS LIZ TAYLOR AND HER JEWELRY COLLECTION IN ROME, EXHIBITION OF THE POP WORLD 2009

 

 

Best exhibition of the year? A tricky one for us you’d think…

While pal-of-POP, Jessica Morgan, curated a Baldessari show at Tate Modern that blew our art department’s tidy minds, the Ruscha show just down the river was none too shabby either. Yes, that’s why we approached big Ed to do the cover of our relaunch hardback issue…

Meanwhile, the Pinault show at The Garage in Moscow saw contemporary art reaching a new audience in stunning fashion (that Viola room! the Flavin space!). And POP’s Becky Poostchi and Malena Bach won countless plaudits for plunging deep into the heart of happening Camberwell with their very now “Crash” showcase at Damian Hirst’s new London warehouse space.

But why blow smoke up our own butt’s when we can do it to one of our advertisers… true glossy magazine style…

 

 

Seriously, the exhibition of Elizabeth Taylor’s Bulgari jewelry collection in Rome this summer was an event to scorch a mark on your consciousness for life. Like all great exhibitions it was a showcase that literally shifted your perception of the world.

We want to tell you that this incredible exhibition, marking 125 years of Bulgari, will soon travel the fashion capitals of the world, but sadly we can’t. But let’s see what Rome’s very finest organise in 2010… And as soon as it’s known we’ll be the first to pass on the good news… Geddit?

 

From the off, let’s get something clear regarding this landmark exhibition and its awe-inspiring Liz Taylor room. That room was, literally, just the tip of the iceberg.

The Bulgari showcase in Rome redefined beauty in the minds of so many of its visitors in that it told a truly beautiful story. This was the tale of how a Greek immigrant, Sotirios Voulgaris, arrived in Rome (via Naples) in 1881 and created a family business that went on to make magic with some of the most spellbinding precious stones of the twentieth century. The thematic chapters of this jewelry story – from Art Deco to flowers and animals to asian fantasies to Pop Art kitsch lollipops – provided an arresting narrative beneath which a deeper theme resonated: that of wonder in human creativity matched with the arresting beauty of nature.

If all this sounds like so much fashion hot air, then an aside here for the naysayers. During the Second World War, Constantino Bulgari, the son of Sotirios Voulgaris, bravely hid three Jewish women in his Roman home. They were strangers to him and his wife, Laura. Rapidly establishing themselves in Italy as pre-eminent jewelers, the Bulgaris now opened their doors having been outraged by the raid of the Roman ghetto in 1943. This provides a clear indication of the important values that dominated in the Bulgari household(s) as this incredible family business grew and prospered.

(The huge acclaim of the fashion community in 2009, and also that of the international jet set since the 1950s, surely pales in comparison with the title of ‘Righteous Among The Nations’, bestowed on the Bulgaris in Jerusalem in 2003.)

 

By the time you reached the much-anticipated Elizabeth Taylor room, the Bulgari story had already managed to leave the spectator somewhat speechless. Each era of Bulgari’s history, from silverware through incredible diamonds and then back to brilliant heavy metals, is exemplary. Some pieces were made at relatively small profit to the family, simply because these incredible jewelry fantasies just had to be created.

The Seventies arrives with a shift to very bold, almost brutal, weighty jewelry. Many of the most precious stones of the world have been used by now, but Bulgari continue to inspire through innovative combinations of rare stones. The trademark riot of colour becomes only more sensational as innovation is pushed time and time again.

And then there is Liz huge on one wall, photographed by Helmut Newton in a swimming pool wearing only her Bulgari. Wander across to the cabinets and you can see that the actress had a fair few necklaces to choose from… more even than husbands. Is it no wonder that she made such regular pilgrimages to Rome with whatever man it took in order to build this collection? Liz, we salute you!

 

 

To see this exhibition in Rome this year was a rare privilege. To leave the Palazzo delle Esposizioni show and then to wander to the original Bulgari store on via Condotti only increased the magic. This was the shopping stroll that Liz – that Anna Magnani and Gina Lollobrigida, for that matter – would have made time and time again. As it happens, these ladies made some rather wonderful investments, far better than even their husband’s dream property portfolios. Every classic Bulgari piece is now virtually priceless.

And what did POP buy? Well, we brought back some very beautiful postcards. And some memories to last a lifetime. Catch this show wherever possible!

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