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Hotel Chimera, designed by Elena Salmistraro for Florim, is the unique and limited-edition ceramic work of almost 20 square metres donated to support the project ‘Doppio Senso. Percorsi Tattili alla Collezione Peggy Guggenheim’ (Double Entendre. Tactile Paths at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection): the whole became a puzzle of 80 unique, hand-signed pieces by the designer, which sold out in a solidarity click. florim.com

T h e P e g g y G u g g e n h e i m ’ s t a c t i l e c a t a l o g u e : a n i n c l u s i v e p r o j e c t

by Paola Carimati

‘Doppio Senso. Percorsi Tattili alla Collezione Peggy Guggenheim’ (Double Entendre. Tactile Paths at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection), is the ‘tactile visit’ project presented by the American foundation at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, in Venice, for the 30th anniversary of Guggenheim Itrapresæ. It is a truly experimental operation, driven by the desire of the entire museum team, suitably educated and trained, to promote the museum’ social role: the concept, in fact, stems from the sensitivity of offering sighted, visually impaired and blind people equal access to culture. In collaboration with the Istituto dei Ciechi di Milano and Florim — which contributed by donating the proceeds from the sale of the Hotel Chimera puzzle by Elena Salmistraro (80 unique, hand-signed pieces by the designer) — the Guggenheim created thermoformed and resin relief reproductions of 10 author’s canvases from the collection, each complete with descriptive panels written in Braille and very clear characters. Guided by the voice of Valeria Bottalico, the creator and curator of the itinerary, all visitors, including children, are accompanied on a tour that has been turned into a completely autonomous exploration. The experience of contemplation then moves from the canvas to sculpture, thanks to the contribution of the blind artist Felice Tagliaferri, who with his ceramic workshop teaches how to relate the (touched) detail to its whole. —

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The Grand Palais Éphémère’s impressive exterior view of the Champ-de-Mars and the Eiffel Tower. The 10,000 square metre temporary exhibition pavilion designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte will host Paris+ par Art Basel until 2024. parisplus.artbasel.com

T h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l f a i r , A r t B a s e l , m o v e s t o P a r i s . U n d e r t h e E i f f e l T o w e r

by Germano D’Acquisto

It is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. Art Basel, the world’s most prestigious modern and contemporary art fair, lands on the banks of the Seine. And it does so with all the honours. It will be called Paris+ par Art Basel, and from 20 to 23 October it will inhabit the spaces of the Grand Palais Éphémère, before moving in 2024 to the Grand Palais, which has undergone an intense revamp in recent months. In the spaces of the temporary exhibition pavilion, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte right in front of the Eiffel Tower, the crème de la crème of international galleries will parade: 156 in all, chosen from over 700 candidates (140 in the Main sector and 16 in the Émergentes section), coming from around thirty countries. But that’s not all. The Parisian event, directed by Clément Delépine, will go beyond the borders of Champ-de-Mars and extend to various urban areas: from the Jardin des Tuileries, where 25 open-air installations will be exhibited (including those by the Argentinean abstract sculptor, Alicia Penalba, not to be missed) to Place Vendôme; from the Centre Pompidou, which will host the eagerly anticipated retrospective of the American figurative painter Alice Neel, ‘Un regard engagé’, to the Chapelle des Petits-Augustins des Beaux-Arts de Paris. In short, if in Basel the public arrives almost exclusively for the fair, in Paris the opportunities are endless. —

M a r i o C u c i n e l l a r e d e s i g n s t h e M i l a n h e a d q u a r t e r s o f t h e R o v a t i F o u n d a t i o n

by Piera Belloni

This cultural institution is at the once private and open to sharing and dialogue: the Rovati Foundation has inaugurated its headquarters, complete with a museum, in a 19th-century building in Milan. Restoration, extension and redevelopment were entrusted to the MCA Mario Cucinella Architects studio, which built two underground floors — one for exhibitions and the other for researchers, where the Foundation’s Study Collection is located — and renovated the three above-ground floors. On the street level are the bookshop, the indoor garden and Andrea Aprea’s bistro café. The tour begins at the entrance, where a Pietra serena staircase leads to the hypogeum devoted to the Etruscan works: it is an evocative, semi-dark environment consisting of three circular rooms and one elliptical space with domed ceilings, completely enveloped by ashlars, also made of Pietra serena. The ancient artefacts, showcased in thematic areas, are combined with modern and contemporary artworks so as to establish a dialogue that continues on the main floor. In these carefully restored rooms, archaeology interacts with works by Warhol, Paolini and Simeti, among others. There is also the ‘Spazio Bianco’ (White Space) for temporary exhibitions, currently hosting works by Sabrina Mezzaqui, until 27/11. The second level houses study rooms and the third the Michelin-starred chef’s restaurant. —

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In the underground floor of the Rovati Foundation, exhibition rooms with domed ceilings are wrapped in Pietra serena ashlars. Here is housed the permanent exhibition where important Etruscan finds interact with works by Picasso, Kentridge and Fontana. fondazioneluigirovati.org

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Clear rooms with fluid shapes characterise the temporary shop that the French Maison Hermès has opened in Rome at Via Condotti 67/A. Designed by Studiopepe, it is devoted to accessories, small leather items, beauty products, and fragrances for men and women. hermes.com

I n t i m a t e , s e n s u a l l u x u r y i n t h e S t u d i o p e p e p o p - u p s t o r e

by Flavia Giorgi

An ephemeral place to tell small stories of timeless elegance. That of simple and perfect objects that skilful craftsmen give us to enrich our daily lives. The pop-up store created by Hermès in the heart of Rome is devoted to accessories, small leather items and beauty products. An enveloping space expressing a concept of quiet luxury, which everyone can experience in a comfortable and intimate dimension. The interior design is by Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto — founders of Milan-based Studiopepe — who chose natural and traditional Italian materials. In a fluid path through four rooms, the luminosity of marble powder plaster is reflected on continuous, round-shaped surfaces, while the desktops are covered in brick-coloured earthenware. The designers’ references to contemporary art are cultured: from Paolo Scheggi’s elliptical openings that have inspired the backlit niches carved into the walls, to the playful Fausto Melotti’ sculptures to be reinterpreted in the burnished brass tubes supporting the silks. The final surprise is the interactive infinity room, with videos recalling the world of fragrances diffused in the room. —

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Pictured, The Virtual Meeting Room, which offers interactive stations where one can interact with colleagues on the other side of the world. ‘New Visions of Work’ is the cornerstone of the 2002 edition of Orgatec, in Cologne from 25 to 29/10. orgatec.com

N e w v i s i o n s o f w o r k s p a c e s o n s t a g e i n C o l o g n e

by Laura Maggi

A fixture for entrepreneurs, retailers and interior architects operating in the field of workspace design, Orgatec’s 2002 edition, ‘New Visions of Work’, opens its doors from 25 to 29 October. After the impact of the pandemic and the digital transformation have accelerated the disconnection of work from specific places and times, the spaces of the Cologne trade fair will showcase a new vision of the working dimension. Ideally, the office of tomorrow could be anywhere, and the future will see more and more flexible workers operating creatively and independently. In addition to the presence of around 600 international companies, Orgatec has devised a rich programme of events revolving around the themes of creativity, flexibility, efficiency, design and technological innovations. On schedule, also a series of guided tours of the fair conceived by architects and aimed at fellow designers, curated by prestigious architectural firms with a focus on themes such as hybrid work, green office and design, to provide an overview of the main solutions and concepts on stage. Elle Decor Italia, which has always been attentive to the evolution of workspaces and their future — think of ‘Elle Decor at Work. The Evolution of Workspace’, an exhibition set up on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2019 — will also participate in the fair. —