Architecture et bijou contemporain
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Paris
27 February 2019 – 22 March 2019
Presented at the end of 2017 at the Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo (MAXXI) in Rome, the exhibition “Corpo, Movimento, Struttura. Il gioiello contemporaneo e la sua costruzione” (Body, Movement, Structure. Contemporary jewelry and its construction) paid tribute to the subtle relationship between architectural experimentation and jewelry design through the works of great international artists. One of these “pairings” – architect and designer Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) and jewelry designer Giampaolo Babetto (born in 1947) is now the subject of an exceptional exhibition at Hôtel di Galiffet. A maestro from the Padua school of jewelry making, Babetto has long had a keen interest in and consideration for architecture in general, and that of the modernist Scarpa in particular. The importance of detail in the design of hinges and points of juncture is clearly the main element the two artists have in common. Fullness of form finds meaning in the presence of empty space, which is never perceived negatively, but rather as an element that marks the dividing line between interior and exterior. Sketches, designs, photographs, and above all the extraordinary jewelry creations on display bring to light a certain shared feeling about functional form that links the two artists.
Tuesday | Saturday
10am-1pm | 3pm-6pm
open by appointment