Florence now hosts Palazzo Gucci inside Palazzo della Mercanzia, a 14th-century site in Piazza della Signoria, a place already heavily wrapped in its own history. The same city once held Guccio Gucci’s first shop back in 1921. Same place, completely different eras, and plenty of people in between, each adding another layer to what the brand now calls its story. And that’s exactly what Demna’s Gucci Storia brings forward. People, craftsmanship, and heritage.
Ever wondered what Alessandro Michele would look like as a knight leading a Renaissance-Baroque parade on horseback? If so, that probably says more about you than the exhibition. But step into the room The Thread of Time, and the image is already there. Demna wraps it in Gucci Memoria tapestries, originally made for Milan Design Week. Take a step into The Gallery and you’ll find yourself staring at cherry-red walls covered in La Famiglia’s portraits, shot by Catherine Opie. The Generation Gucci room will have you looking at the label’s latest campaign, tracing its own DNA. The Manufacture, on the other hand, makes sight less important than touch. It sets Italian craftsmanship against technology. The 1947 Bamboo bag, the 1961 Jackie one, even the 1953 Horsebit loafer share the room with robotic arms.
The Archive holds exactly what it suggests. Handbags, luggage, jewelry, vases, beauty brushes, lamps, everything a luxury Wunderkammer could contain. Then comes The Truth room, a 1980s office frozen in time. On top of it are a Maurizio Gucci photograph, a radio, and a record explaining the Gucci coat of arms, alongside another tracing the family tree. The Matter room, dimly lit against pitch-black walls, has no issue with light when it comes to the mannequins scattered around, dressed in some of Gucci’s signature pieces. An atmosphere you might expect from The Cinema room, yet it is devoted entirely to moving image and video. And finally, The Oracle. A space so bright it almost makes you question your pulse. There, an interactive installation leaves you with the necessary knowledge, facts, and perhaps a few answered questions about the maison’s past and present. 105 years squeezed into nine rooms.
