End: 17 Feb 2014
Location: de Young Museum
Address: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
Text by Tricia Oliveira
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is showcasing The Art of BVLGARI: La Dolce Vita & Beyond 1950–1990, an exhibition of approximately 150 pieces created by the renowned Italian jeweler over four decades, a first ever retrospective for the Italian Jeweller in the United States.
The exclusive exhibition on display at the de Young Museum from 21 September 2013 to 17 February 2014, will highlight jewelry that defined a pivotal period in Italian design, and will include many pieces from the personal collection of Elizabeth Taylor.
In the 1960s, BVLGARI embraced boldly-colored combinations of gemstones, the use of heavy gold, and forms derived from Greco-Roman classicism, the Italian Renaissance, and the 19th-century Roman school of goldsmiths, and began to develop and establish its distinctive positioning in the world of jewellery. It would go on to contribute to a look that would come to be known as the "Italian school" of jewelry design.
Pieces in the exhibition display the jeweler’s eclectic creativity and invention during this period.
Works in the exhibition also include those from the 1970s and 80s, a particularly innovative period for the jeweler and one influenced by Pop Art and other contemporary trends.
Through the innovative uses of sketches, photographs, and other archival materials, visitors will get to explore and understand the cultural context in which the exquisite pieces were made, and immerse themselves into a fascinating intersection of celebrity, design, and fine craftsmanship.
The Art of BVLGARI Opening Gala at de Young Museum
On 19 September, BVLGARI hosted a celebratory gala to officially kick-off the exhibition. More than 300 guests gathered in the de Young Museum's Wilsey Court for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, while they admired a montage of cinematic moments that epitomized the La Dolce Vita days of Rome in the 1960s.
Nicola Bulgari, Vice Chairman of the Bulgari Group, Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari hosted the glamorous attendees amongst whom included Hilary Swank, Kate Bosworth and China Chow, as well as Alexis Traina, Jacqui Getty, Juliet de Baubigny, Mary Beth Shimmon, Tatiana Sorokko, Vanessa Getty, Iris Apfel, and Veronica Bulgari.
Hilary Swank wore a stunning necklace from Bulgari’s newest jewelry collection, Diva. Made of yellow gold and mother of pearl, it boasted emeralds, rubellites, amethysts, and round brilliant cut diamonds – a magnificent representative of Bulgari’s marked characteristic, bold color combinations and smooth, cabochon gemstones.
Kate Bosworth chose a different Bulgari design motif, wearing sleek diamond Serpenti earrings with matching cuff bracelets wrapped around her wrists.
