An exhibition in Biella celebrating two icons of the 20th century: Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe

Palazzo Gromo Losa in Biella reopens to the public with a major exhibition project dedicated to two icons of the 20th century: Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe.

The exhibition Coco + Marilyn. Biella at the Center of MI-TO, curated by Photo OP agency and realized thanks to the support of Biver Banca, the project’s main sponsor, brings together more than one hundred shots depicting the two “divines” taken by Canadian photographer Douglas Kirkland. With a long career in Hollywood, Kirkland is known for portraying all the biggest movie stars and working on the sets of more than 150 film productions.

Biella at the center of MI-TO, in the title of the exhibition, is the famous phrase with which Michelangelo Pistoletto drew geographically but also ideally and culturally the city of Biella and to which he donated the logo of the Third Paradise, a reconfiguration of the mathematical sign of infinity. A territory capable of enriching the visiting experience to enter “into true resonance” with the themes of the exhibition: beauty, fashion, rebirth.

The exhibition (already presented in two other Unesco creative cities, Budapest and Helsinki) lands in Biella, Unesco creative city for textiles, the only one in Italy, from 2019, in an explicit exercise of meaning with respect to the vital, economic and creative heart of the territory: textile manufacturing, of which it is an expression of world excellence.

The exhibition is proposed in spring-summer 2021 in an echoing of anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of Chanel’s death and the 100th anniversary of the launch of Chanel N°5 perfume, and is an opportunity to take stock of the crossed fates that link the Biella area to the great history of international costume and fashion.

Kirkland photographed Marilyn Monroe and Coco Chanel in the early 1960s, when he worked for Look magazine. His timeless images, taken sixty years ago, offer visitors a twofold journey: a journey into the cult of Hollywood stars, with Marilyn’s uncanny beauty, and a plunge into fashion history, thanks to Coco’s timeless elegance.

The works are also meant to be an opportunity for a firsthand view of the early golden age of photography, understood as a central element of modern consumer culture and communication. Indeed, the protagonists of the story themselves understood well the power of the image and photography.

The exhibition is open until September 12.

For all information you can visit the official website of Palazzo Gromo Losa.

An exhibition in Biella celebrating two icons of the 20th century: Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe

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