Sala De Rerum Natura, at the Gucci Garden Galleria
They say that no matter how many times you visit, ** Florence is always like a surprise party ** and you never know what wonder you will find around the corner: the Ponte Vecchio, the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, the gallery of the Uffizi and the Academy, the palazzo Bargello...
And what can not be missing at a party? A touch of madness and magic that intoxicates everything and makes sparks shine in the eyes of those who have been carried away by the open bar. This substantial task could not fall into the hands of just anyone, and that is why Alessandro Michele has done his thing, spraying the atmosphere from the Palazzo della Mercanzia with his unmistakable magical chaos: Welcome to Gucci Garden!
WHAT IS IT AND WHERE IS IT?
How could it be otherwise, Gucci Garden is located in a historic palace on the “dance floor” of the great Florentine festival, a stone's throw from Piazza della Signoria. In this same palace, where the Gucci Museum opened its doors in 2011, Alessandro Michele – creative director of Gucci – has conceived a new space dedicated to exploring the eclectic creativity that characterizes the Florentine house. In it we find a unique objects store, the Gucci Osteria and the exhibition area.
The Palazzo de la Mercanzia houses the magical Gucci Garden
WHY GUCCI GARDEN?
The name has been chosen for two reasons. First, the obvious: for the recognizable aesthetics of the house, known, among many other things, for its multiple references to nature. Second, as is always the case with Gucci's staging: in the metaphorical sense. Alessandro Michele affirms that “the garden is real, but it belongs, above all, to the mind and is inhabited by plants and animals; like the snake, which sneaks everywhere and, in a certain sense, symbolizes a perpetual beginning and return”.
Exclusive designs that can only be purchased at Gucci Garden
GUCCI GARDEN GALLERY
The Gucci Garden Galleria, directed by the critic Maria Luisa Frisa, pays homage to the rich archive of the house, while narrating the new vision of it. The tour is divided into several rooms with the most evocative names: “Guccification”, “Paraphernalia”, “Cosmorama”, “De Rerum Natura” and lastly, “Ephemera”. We also find a small cinema auditorium upholstered in red velvet where the public can watch experimental films. The first will be the preview of Zeus Machine/Phoenix, a short film by the ZAPRUDER group of filmmakers.
The Cosmorama room, bags, dedicated to suitcases and luggage
Throughout the gallery, contemporary items and vintage pieces fuse in a dialogue punctuated by myriad Gucci logos. In addition, all the creative directors who have passed through the house are represented in the rooms - with pieces by Frida Giannini or Tom Ford - not just Alessandro Michele.
" At Gucci, the past is an important part of the present , a statement that is perfectly in tune with Alessandro's vision of the firm and his attitude towards Florence, the birthplace of Gucci, which he sees as a city where history is still very much alive" says Frisa.
Friends of the house, such as the artists Jayde Fish, Trevor Andrew (aka GucciGhost) and Coco Capitan have been invited to decorate the walls, and his works are displayed alongside Gucci-patterned wallpaper and a giant 19th-century equestrian portrait of Domenico Induno: Fantino con bambina.
One of the eclectic walls of the Galleria
GUCCI OSTERIA
It is an intimate restaurant run by the distinguished chef with three Michelin stars Massimo Bottura. “As we travel the world, our cuisine interacts with everything we see, hear and taste,” says Bottura. With eyes wide open, we look for the next big unexpected success.” The menu will include iconic Italian dishes and conceptual reinterpretations of classics for a non-stop dining experience.
Gucci Osteria: the new space by Massimo Bottura
THE STORE
On the ground floor we also find a commercial space with exclusive products that are not for sale in any other Gucci store. Shoes and bags in special materials, brocade skirts and coats and several unique creations, such as silk bombers with Gucci Garden Gothic inscription are the treasures found in this unconventional store.
Also for sale are pieces from the Gucci Décor collection, as well as a selection of innovative magazines and publications, and a collection of books – both current works and vintage tomes – drawn from the **Antica Libreria Cascianelli in Rome.**
Cushions from the Gucci Décor collection
WHY CAN'T YOU MISS THE PARTY?
Why Gucci Garden counts a story of perennial reinvention, where past, present and future coexist and merge in a spiral, just like the Ouroboros which, recurrent in the symbology of Michele's collections, bite their tails dying and being reborn again and again in an eternal cycle.
Guccification invades every corner of the Palazzo