S otheby’s celebrates Italy and its unique lifestyle with a selection of works, to acknowledge its artistic beauty, timeless craftsmanship and love for luxury.
Milan’s Life is Beautiful sale reflects the quintessence of Italian luxury tradition. From jewelry and watches to collectors’ cars, handbags, design and fine arts, the selection has been curated to showcase the best of luxury manufacture across Italy.
Italy's aesthetic, iconic style and extraordinary products transport us to luxurious and historical destinations, idyllic settings for the Italian 'Dolce Vita'.
In 1992, architect Alessandro Mendini asked one hundred artists to decorate each one porcelain vase with decals.
The ensemble embodies Mendini's far-reaching artistic interests, spanning to both established artists and designers and lesser-known performers.
Such a collection democratically expresses through shapes and colors the richness of Italian craftsmanship.
The simple shape of the vase fosters the artistic vision of each artist; from an object to a concept, from an emotion to a vision.
The freedom in creativity that each decoration expresses is the strong point of both the single vase and of the whole group; a chorus of distinct voices, each with its unique character, blending in an extraordinary collection.
Reproduced in a limited edition of one hundred copies, for a total of 10,000 pieces, it is a true rarity to find the complete collection on the market.
The complete collection here offered at auction comes from the collection of Eugenio Medagliani, renowned owner of one of the most historic Milanese hotel groups. The entrepreneur purchased it in 1992 as a first edition.
Read LessVenice and Milan are the protagonists of this auction with some selected design pieces and artistic glass from the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
Murano's manufacture shows its artistic excellence through the glassworks of Fulvio Bianconi and Carlo Scarpa for Venini, who pay homage to the aesthetics of the ancient Venetian "calli" using aquamarine coloured glass. At the same time, Archimede Seguso expresses his art with irregular forms and abstract glass decorations.
Milan instead represents the beacon for design and high fashion. The greatest architects and designers merge their ideas with the prestigious manufacturing industry of Brianza. Gio Ponti's versatility pushes the boundary of design innovation, Fornasetti turns fantasy into reality with his decorations, Gino Sarfatti stands out as one of the most elegant and innovative light designers ever.
In a fusion of forms, lights, materials, and colors, twentieth-century Italian art stands out for its style, becoming a global point of reference.
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America’s Cup does not only stand as a sporting challenge between nations, but also as a technological challenge. Each edition has showcased the progress of yacht design and the use of increasingly advanced expertise, both in terms of design and use of materials.
After its sixth participation, the Prada team holds a record of two “Challenger” titles, earned whilst racing against the current champion of America's Cup.
The “winglet” is the terminal part of the foil on the AC75 "Luna Rossa", the innovative flying mono-hull with which the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team took part in the 36th America's Cup presented by PRADA, held in Auckland between January and March 2021.
The AC75 is an extremely innovative sailing boat, 75 feet (23 meters) long, weighing 6.5 tons, capable of sailing above the surface of the sea while balanced on lateral arms, called foils. In this boat, the only part touching the water is the extremity called “wing”.
The proceeds of the sale will be devolved to the MEDSEA Foundation, to support its campaign to restore the Posidonia Oceanica ecosystem in the Mediterranean. The donation will be devoted to replanting Posidonia Oceanica using eco-friendly and biodegradable substrates in the Marine Protected Area of "Capo Carbonara" in Sardinia.
