missoni larte il coloreMISSONI, ART, COLOUR is the literal English translation of MISSONI, L’ARTE, IL COLORE, an exhibition dedicated to Ottavio and Rosita Missoni at the MA*GA Museum in Gallarte, the city they chose for their home and first knitwear atelier back in 1953.

With an expansive theme that includes “Dialogue with twentieth-century European art; The creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of a great Italian fashion house; and The extraordinary culture and brilliance of its two founders,” the exhibit runs from 19 April to 8 November 2015.

With Gallarte only 40 minutes away from Milan, expect fashionistas to descend to the little town when they arrive in Milan for the upcoming menswear and womenswear seasons in June and September, respectively.

The MISSONI, L’ARTE, IL COLORE exhibition, curated by Luciano Caramel, Luca Missoni and Emma Zanella, is a joint project organised by the City of Gallarate, the MA*GA Museum and the Missoni Archive with contributions from the Lombardy Region’s Department of Culture, Identity and Self-Governance and the Province of Varese in conjunction with Missoni.

The exhibition opens with Casa di moda (Fashion House), the evocative video installation created in 2009 by Ali Kazma to highlight Missoni’s exclusive combination of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design, its respectful approach to the material and work within the company, and the artist’s desire to look behind the scenes of the glamorous fashion world and see how it fits into the broader picture of human activity.

It then goes to The Roots section which sheds light on the origins of Missoni’s work, their initial resources and sources of inspiration in the fields of visual arts and fashion.

The exhibition continues with Colour, Material, Form, a series of immersive installations designed by Luca Missoni and Angelo Jelmini, and characterised by a deep fusion between the pursuits for material and colour that are influenced by fashion design and environmental dimensions and borrowed from the visual arts.

For the Missonis, making clothes means making room for colour, material and form, which are imagined and moulded according to a strict, personal aesthetic quest.

The dialogues between the hectic creativity of Ottavio and Rosita Missoni and Italian visual culture are incredibly intense between the 1950s and the 1980s. An extensive selection of works, some of which also come from the MA*GA collection, documents this consistent relationship: the references and persisting and varying motifs can be seen again in piece after piece.

The final room of exhibition features a brand-new installation dedicated to Ottavio Missoni’s most significant works. These works form a series of large Tapestries made with knitted patchwork which are displayed in a space designed once again by Luca Missoni and Angelo Jelmini to be as spectacular as it is evocative.

The exhibition catalogue is edited by Luciano Caramel, Luca Missoni and Emma Zanella and published by Rizzoli, and a busy programme of events and educational initiatives is planned to complement the exhibition.

MISSONI, L’ARTE, IL COLORE [MISSONI, ART, COLOUR]
Gallarate, MA*GA Museum (via De Magri 1)

19th April – 8th November 2015

Opening: 18th April 2015, 18.30

Opening times:
Tuesday to Friday: 10.00 – 19.00;
Saturday and Sunday: 10.00 – 20.00;
Closed on Mondays.

Admission:
€ 10 full price.
€ 8 for groups of 15 or more and other concessions; FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) members.
€ 5 students up to 26 years and over 65s; Gallarate residents.
Free – under 14s, disabled visitors requiring a carer, carers accompanying disabled visitors;
MiBACT employees; Lombardy Region tour guides, 1 teacher for every 10 students, ICOM members, AMACI members, accredited journalists, and registered journalists with a valid membership card.

Museum information

Ph. +39 0331 706011
info@museomaga.it; www.museomaga.it

Event information

Ph. +39 0331 706091 / 81
missoniartecolore@museomaga.it