ALTAGAMMA - ITALIAN CONTEMPORARY EXCELLENCE at SWFC

On 1st of August 2013, the Shanghai World Financial Center welcomes the ALTAGAMMA – CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN EXCELLENCE photography exhibition. The Italian industry association Fondazione Altagamma, one of Europe’s luxury goods associations, gathers members from several renowned brands including Gucci, Versace, Bulgari, Illy, Kartell, TOD’S, Missoni, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, B&B Italia, Bisazza, Fendi and Ducati.

The world famous Altagamma brands share the passion for high quality and excellence and for the Italian heritage mixed with the spur to innovation: they come from the fields of fashion, design, speed, hospitality, jewelry, food and beverage and wellness.

During the last decades, these brands shaped the reputation of Italy all around the world, making the Bel Paese (“beautiful country”) a synonymous of style, elegance, creativity and innovation.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, 64 brands under the Fondazione Altagamma umbrella are collaborating with 10 well-known photoreporters to show the essence and style of their various brands with the help of modern photographic art.

These photographers are: Lorenzo Cicconi Massi, Daniele Dainelli, Nicolò Degiorgis, Simona Ghizzoni, Martino Lombezzi, Alex Majoli, Paolo Pellegrin, Lorenzo Pesce, Marta Sarlo and Massimo Siragusa. They are the outstanding representatives of Italian photojournalism and work in a variety of styles. Looking at the mosaic of images (that represent products, factories, workers, landscapes…) we can see the hard work, the skills and the passion that make possible to create high quality products and offer high quality services.

High-quality Italian products are the embodiment of values that are shared by all Altagamma companies, no matter what sector they operate in. The challenge that Fondazione Altagamma faced was how to adequately present and connect the values and philosophy behind the astounding success of these products.

The result is a sort of tale of what Italian Excellence is made of: craftsmanship, heritage, sense of beauty, creativity, link to the territory, innovation.

The photography exhibition was first held in:
December 2012 at Milan’s famous Triennale Design Museum.
From Monday 29 April and closes on Sunday 30 June at the Shanghai Italian Center.

The event is hosted by the SWFC and organized in collaboration with Triumph Asia, supported by the Shanghai International Culture Association, the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai and the Italian Institute of Culture in Shanghai, the Italian Trade Commission and the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce.

The exhibition publication, which will be available for purchase at the end of October in bookstores, was created by well-known publisher Rizzoli. The project was helmed by curator Cristina Morozzi and consists of two parts. Apart from the aforementioned publication, the other component of the project is a travelling exhibition.

Each of the 64 Altagamma companies made or chose the frame for its own photograph, adding a personal interpretation of the image itself, resulting in a creative multiplicity of styles.

Andrea Illy, Chairman of Fondazione Altagamma and illycaffè, commented, "We had wanted to start a project which could represent the universe of values and aesthetics and the best Italian companies for some time. This exhibition is the result. This Chinese edition is particularly important to us: this is a country with a millennial cultural tradition and a great market, with huge perspectives. It is crucial to Altagamma companies to communicate the values of Italian culture in order to make people appreciate the products that are generated by that culture"

For more information, please click the following links: www.altagamma.it, www.altagammaexcellence.com, www.swfc-shanghai.com/event/2013_summer_campaign/photoexhibition_cn.html