Cleto Munari
CLETO MUNARI IN PALERMO
20-29 OTTOBRE 2023
PALERMO
On Saturday, Oct. 21, Giuliano and Giorgia Fecarotta will present “The Precious Universe of Cleto Munari.” Exhibition of the famous designer’s jewelry at the Fecarotta Gioielli Boutique at 66 Ruggero Settimo Street, PA.
The exhibition and the entire event were curated and organized by Giorgia Fecarotta.
The multifaceted creative genius of Cleto Munari travels through Italy in an unprecedented art road show, going up from Palermo to Turin to celebrate half a century of experimentation in the arts and design.
Cleto Munari’s Opus Project, conceived and organized by Contemporary Concept, was created with the aim of paying tribute to a visionary and at the same time concrete talent with a dynamic formula that transforms and overcomes the static concept of the museum exhibition into an experience that modifies the classic fruition of the art object.
Cleto Munari’s art and design will be on display in Palermo in iDesign at Atelier Manima in Palazzo Amoroso, Piazza Santo Spirito 9, with opening on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. The exhibition, which can be visited until Nov. 15, 2023, will be preceded on the same day, at 3 p.m., by a lectio magistralis by Cleto Munari, at the Aula Magna of the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts
Cleto Munari
It all began in 1973 from the meeting with Carlo Scarpa, projecting design in the direction of industrial design, experimenting with forms and materials. Cleto Munari’s scope ranges from everyday objects to the most sophisticated jewelry. His immense production, also present in the permanent collections of the world’s most important museums, a careful and significant selection of which will be on display in the tour’s exhibitions, includes furnishings, objects, silverware, carpets, accessories and jewelry. From his prolific genius pencil came projects that involved the great protagonists of the artistic avant-garde not only in Italy. His production, steeped in culture and firmly anchored in the lessons of History, from the Classical World to the Renaissance, has internalized inspirations from the past and transformed them into a visionary and thoroughly contemporary key. She makes her own the principle of contamination and collaboration among artists and designers, such as Alessandro Mendini, Vico Magistretti, Mimmo Paladino, Gae Aulenti and Mario Bellini. His objects-especially those made in gold and silver-are in the permanent collections of many important museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA in New York.
Some of his creations
On display
His aptitude for experimentation and openness, with no boundaries of time, space or material, has allowed him to refine his highly personal aesthetic, resulting in a vast production that includes furniture, rugs, pens, vases and jewelry. His visionary talent finds its highest expression in avant-garde jewelry, a countercurrent that understands jewelry as an object of design and artistic experimentation. From the design of his first object with his mentor Carlo Scarpa, followed by his meeting and collaboration with Ettore Sottsass, his search for the ‘uniqueness of things takes shape as a natural continuation of his quest for beauty. “[…] in beauty I find myself again.” His works represent a “design of joy” that gathers the dream and makes it a reality. From Palermo to Turin, the works on display succinctly express Cleto Munari’s creative universe. The choreographic carpets, luxury accessories with a contemporary expression and a handcrafted soul, the poetic “Locletoys,” hand-painted vase sculptures with limited edition lids, interior design complements, furniture, tables and sideboards born from the collaboration with the greatest avant-garde artists, an admirable synthesis of creativity and functionality; the precious jewelry, true works of wearable art with a modern and innovative style; and the highly original eyewear, a collection of 13 models of sunglasses and eyeglasses, the latest genius scratch of the artist, who has once again extended his experimentation into a particular field, that of accessories. The latest in the Cleto Munari Universe, they were recently presented in Rome as an absolute premiere at Mondelliani.
“Cleto Munari’s creativity is expressed in a collection of signature objects poised between art and design. Like a game of syllables in which everyone is called upon to collaborate and find their own syntax, each object carries with it the complexity of creation. Color is fundamental here: it cleverly reveals Cleto Munari’s eclectic personality and his playful approach to design.”
Daniela Brignone, curator.
