I haven’t really understood why the luxury labels take to ‘art’ to earn goodwill. Last year Louis Vuitton brought in the famous artist of Indian origin – Anish Kapoor to Mumbai and Delhi. Anish’s art is eclectic but is still enjoyed by people who don’t really understand art in its esoteric terms. This week Italian luxury menswear company Ermenegildo Zegna unveiled its latest project – ZegnArt at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai. Supervised by Anna Zegna, the project aims at encouraging and supporting contemporary artists.
ZegnArt Public’s institutional partner in Mumbai is the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the city’s oldest museum, whose collection documents the applied arts and everyday life of nineteenth century Mumbai. Under the guidance of the director, Mrs. Tasneem Mehta, the museum has opened its doors to contemporary art, with an ambitious and far-sighted program of Indian artist. The institution has been selected on the basis of a common vision of art as a method of advancement and awareness of a community. In the coming months, together with director Tasneem Mehta, ZegnArt Public will engage with the context of Indian art scene and commission the first art work.
In March this year Ermenegildo Zegna unveiled its latest project, ZegnArt, in Trivero, the town where the company was founded. ZegnArt has been conceived as an independent project but complementary to the Zegna Foundation. ZegnArt focuses on three sections: Public, Special Projects and Art in Global Stores. Public combines the commission of a public work in collaboration with an international institution and a scholarship is offered to a young local artist to study in Italy.
Special Projects section includes ventures in collaboration with cultural institutions. The first such project, curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, is a commissioned installation by Lucy and Jorge Orta, entitled ”Fabulae Romanae”, in partnership and conceived for the Maxxi Museum in Rome, Italy, designed by Zaha Hadid and in conjunction with the Centre for Suistanable Fashion of The London College of Fashion.
The third section of the ZegnArt project will feature international artists, which display their works in Zegna’s leading flagship stores across the globe.