CULTURE REVEALED Above, on 28 March the basilica of San Calimero in Milan will host a special concert of polyphonic music. Top, the hall of the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum in Milan will house the Intrecci exhibition. Opposite page, the artisans of Vacheron Constantin will welcome visitors at the Maison’s historical atelier at Quai de l’Ile, Geneva.
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This masterpiece in gold and enamel was commissioned for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and demonstrates the heights reached by Falize in compositional and technical virtuosity, particularly in the use of highly complex and sophisticated enamelling techniques. The goblet’s symbolic iconography, illustrating Renaissance artisans in the act of working wood, stone, earth, glass, metal, leather, textiles and paper, symbolises the ideals of the Union centrale des arts décoratifs (now Les arts décoratifs), an organisation founded in 1864 and dedicated to encouraging refined craftsmanship under the motto of “art, science and craft”. An exceptional accomplishment and a tribute to the master craftsmen of the past as well as to the collections of the museum. The Paris exhibition thus opens with the symbolic comparison between Falize’s masterpiece and its contemporary counterpart: Corps de métiers, a composition created by the artist Stéfane Perraud consisting of thirty-two elements representing arts and crafts. Visitors are invited to explore the eight halls of the exhibition (true laboratories of research) which are divided by theme and material. Works of the past and contemporary creations engage in a dialogue that illustrates the links, affinities and transformations that the creativity of the designers and the expertise of the great craftsmen (including goldsmiths, jewellers, sculptors, cabinet-makers, workers in glass and stone, metal engravers, makers of fabrics and wallpapers, potters, saddlers and many others) who have been invited to demonstrate the evolution of artistic crafts. The making of these artworks was supported by Vacheron Constantin: a Maison committed to excellence, innovation and openness to contemporary trends, whilst remaining true to the great prestige of its unique heritage. In Geneva, twenty-seven cultural institutions will open their doors and put their expertise on display during the European Artistic Crafts Days (27-29 March); to celebrate 260 years of fine watchmaking, Vacheron Constantin will be welcoming the public in its celebrated atelier at Quai de l’Ile, in the heart of the city. For three days, visitors will have the opportunity to meet the Maison’s artisans as they display their masterful techniques in gem setting and engraving, and in the creation of wonderful timepieces. For the second year running, the Swiss canton of Vaud will also be opening its workshops to the public on the occasion of the European Artistic Crafts Days. In Milan, the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art, in collaboration with other Milanese partners and Vacheron Constantin’s support, has put together a rich program of cultural events dedicated to artistic craftsmanship and the applied arts. The dialogue between time-honoured traditions and contemporary creativity is further developed in the stimulating exhibition Intrecci, conceived by the young team of Segno
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