Milan’s Palazzo Reale hosts the exhibition “Gioielli alla moda”, curated by Alba Cappellieri, which explores the relationship between jewelry and fashion and its connection with Italian craftsmanship and beauty. From its origin to the present day, jewelry well describes the evolution of women’s taste and style, but also the innovation brought by the introduction of […]

Unlike most violins made by Antonio Stradivari and known for their grandeur of sound, the Messiah (1716) has never been played. The violin owes its fame to its amazing like-new condition, with the  varnish nearly intact, and it has set the stylistic benchmark for luthiers all over the world. Kept in Oxford at the Ashmolean […]

Preservation of artisans’ precious know-how, encouraging communication with designers, promotion of their visibility to offer new job opportunities: these are the goals that  the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship strives to achieve. Founded in Geneva by South-African entrepreneur Johann Rupert and by Franco Cologni, the president of Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, Michelangelo Foundation […]

www.well-made.it is the new platform which has been online since October 2016 and allows you to learn about the best Italian artisans, express an opinion on their work and write a review of their product quality and customized services. In a world where everything can be delivered directly to your doorstep (food, clothing, furniture),  Fondazione Cologni […]

An intensive 13-hour workshop devoted to the art of pleating will be held at the Pergola Theatre’s Costume and Scenery Workroom on November 19 and 20, 2016. The special guest is Plissettatura Milady of Florence, which has been doing pleating on any kind of fabric, leather, straw and material since the 1960s, always combining varied […]

Opera  di  Santa  Croce,  in the  Chiostrino  Antico space, hosts a thematic philatelic exhibition curated by the Italian Center of Thematic Philately on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 Florence Flood. In addition to stamps, the exhibition includes 4 limited-edition philatelic postcards. One postcard reproduces the xylograph that Pietro Parigi created in […]

Since October 16, Prato’s Textile Museum has been hosting The Garden of Delights, the first solo exhibition held in Italy by felt-maker Marjolein Dallinga. Fourteen large felt works, inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s painting by the same name, come to life in the Museum’s exhibition rooms in a magic and surreal atmosphere by harmonizing them with […]

Jewelry historian and critic Bianca Cappello is the author of a beautiful book full of photographs that goes over the history of Italian costume jewelry from the Unity of Italy to the early 2000s. An expert in processing techniques and materials and in the evolution of Italian taste and costume, the author describes in detail […]

From October 9 to November 27, Monza’s Villa Reale houses an exhibition devoted to the famous master cabinet-maker from Brianza Pierluigi Ghianda, who passed away recently. The exhibition’s title , The Studio as a Symposium,  is an expression that the artist used to describe his own studio. The exhibition is curated by Aldo Colonetti and […]

From October 20 to December 31, 2016, Villa Necchi Campiglio, in Milan, showcases thirty extraordinary garments entirely made  of paper by the talented Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave. From Dior’s suits to colored Japanese kimonos, from evening gowns by Lanvin and Poiret to Chanel’s dresses, the villa houses the paper models of the outfits that […]

From November 25 to 27, Pistoia, in the lovely setting of La Cattedrale (former Breda area) and Centro Pistoia Fiere, hosts once again the Arts & Crafts event, in the new Salone dell’Arte and Stile del vivere version. The layout and setting are curated by Artex,  which supports CNA and Confartigianato, the event’s organizers. Companies […]

From September 21 to October 13, MUDEC – The Museum of Cultures of Milan- hosts Crafting the Future. Stories of Craftsmanship and Innovation, an exhibition by the National Chamber of Italian Fashion with the support of the Ministry for Economic Development and ICE Agenzia. The exhibition (curator Franca Sozzani, co-curator Sara Maino, artistic direction Luca […]

The Palazzo Ducale Museum Complex of Mantua, in the exhibition spaces on the ground floor of Castello di San Giorgio, hosts an exhibition devoted to Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and to his relationship with Italian art, in particular, with Mantegna’s etchings. The exhibition is curated by Johannes Ramharter, a major art historian, and by Peter Assmann, the […]

Milan’s Triennale Museum highlights the design creations by female artists. The exhibition, curated by Silvana Annichiarico and set up by  Margherita Palli, explores the history of Italian female design by reconstructing the figures, theories and approaches to design which were laid down in the 1900s and developed and evolved in the 21st century. Among the […]

Le stanze del vetro is an initiative by Giorgio Cini Foundation and Pentagram Stiftung, which promotes the study and practice of the twentieth-century and contemporary art of glass-making. This long-term cultural project involves the opening of a new and permanent exhibition space  on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore for the purpose of housing monographic […]

Milano Grand Tour is a journey through Milan’s artistic craft shops. The new project by the Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte Foundation, along with  tour operator Elesta Travel, offers tourists and locals alike the chance to choose out of five different tours through the best of Milan’s artisan production. Paper, leather, stringed instruments, metals and jewelry […]

The exhibition, titled Obstinate Spirits, explores the Milanese artist’s most recent creative season through 35 works of the Extra Moenia, Custodi and Scarabei series. Some marble and blown glass works are shown for the first time and the big-sized, over six-meter-high sculpture Die Mauer is displayed at the entrance to the Versiliana Park. The exhibition, […]

The summer 2016 activities of the Summer Creative Center by Kids Time Group are open to children and teenagers willing to interact with painters, designers and artisans. Among the artisans taking part in the creative workshops are those of the  OmA – Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte – circuit, including master artisan Gabriele Maselli of Bottega […]

Maschere e… Artigianìa dal mondo draws the attention of the public, in particular, of artisans from the Valle d’Aosta region, to the design and production of simple but representative objects, within and beyond regional borders. The masks on display, in fact, belong to local collectors, artisans from the Alps and national and international museums, and […]

Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, with the collaboration of  ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine, has greatly encouraged and promoted the awarding of the MAM-Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere recognition, a tribute to top Italian Masters of Art, who operate in the various fields of artistic crafts. This biennial project (the next event will be […]