Phone: +39 015 0991868 | Email: info@palazzogromolosa.it | Corso del Piazzo 22/24, 13900 Biella (BI), Italia
From 22 May to 12 September 2021 (EXTENDED TO 3 OCTOBER 2021)
Palazzo Gromo Losa reopens to the public with a major exhibition project dedicated to two icons of the twentieth century: Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe.
The exhibition Coco + Marilyn. Biella halfway between Milan and Turin, curated by the Photo OP agency and created thanks to the support of Biver Banca, the main sponsor of the project, collects more than one hundred shots depicting the two "divine" ones made by Canadian photographer Douglas Kirkland. With a long career in Hollywood, Kirkland is known for portraying all the biggest movie stars and for having worked on the sets of over 150 film productions.
Biella "al centro del MI-TO" (litteraly: halfway between Milan and Turin), in the title of the exhibition, is the famous phrase with which Michelangelo Pistoletto drew the city of Biella geographically but also ideally and culturally and to which he donated the logo of the Third Paradise, reconfiguration of the mathematical sign of infinity . A territory capable of enriching the visiting experience to enter "in true resonance" with the themes of the exhibition: beauty, fashion and rebirth. The exhibition - already presented in two other Unesco creative cities, Budapest and Helsinki - arrives in Biella, the Unesco creative city for textiles, unique in Italy, since 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.
Coco Chanel nel suo atelier in Rue Cambon 31 - Parigi, 1962 - ©Douglas Kirkland/Photo Op
Coco Chanel rifinisce i dettagli della manica di un tailleur per la collezione di agosto - Parigi, 1962 - ©Douglas Kirkland/Photo Op
The exhibition is proposed in spring-summer 2021 in an echo of anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of Chanel's death and the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Chanel N°5 perfume and is an opportunity to take stock of the crossed destinies that bind the Biella area to the great history of costume and international fashion. Kirkland photographed Marilyn Monroe and Coco Chanel in the early 1960s, when she was working for Look magazine. His timeless images, taken sixty years ago, offer the visitor a double path: a journey into the cult of Hollywood stars, with the perturbing beauty of Marilyn, and a dip in the history of fashion, thanks to the timeless elegance of Coco. The works are also an opportunity for a direct view of the early golden age of photography, understood as a central element of the modern culture of consumption and communication. The protagonists of the story themselves had in fact well understood the power of the image and photography.
The exhibition is accompanied by a wide calendar of initiatives, coordinated by Federica Chilà project manager of the exhibition project, which will animate the city of Biella, to offer visitors of all ages a complete experience, not just a visit to an exhibition, but an opportunity of knowledge and fun, inside and outside Palazzo Gromo Losa. Starting from the enchanting garden of the palace, which will be the protagonist of the exhibition path to create an immersive experience with installations dedicated to the famous phrases of the two divas inside the central pergola of roses of different varieties and colors that intertwine create a real floral fabric.
The exhibition will therefore involve the whole territory in a hymn to creativity, rebirth and beauty, involving numerous organizations and associations that will collaborate in the creation of a rich calendar of collateral events.
The historical-archival research of the project is conducted by the Biellese Network Center of Textile and Fashion Archives. At the Spazio Cultura in the center of Biella, the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation presents "Ricucire il futuro", the exhibition of sketches and clothes inspired by Chanel's fashion values and themes of sustainability created by the students of ITS TAM, certified as one of the best of Italy.
Città Studi, through the work of the participants in the courses on textile and marketing topics, will propose a path entitled "Walking like a star" in which students will imagine creating a visit itinerary and a wardrobe of clothes created specifically for a hypothetical summer trip of pleasure of Marilyn in the Biellese area. During all the months of the exhibition at Palazzo Gromo Losa, themed brunches will be offered, with menus of American, French, Biellese cuisine and recipes based on flowers.
Coco Chanel sul divano del suo salotto - Parigi, 1962 - ©Douglas Kirkland/Photo Op
| Friday 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 2 June and 15 August 10 a.m.-7 p.m. | |
| Palazzo Gromo Losa: Corso del Piazzo 24, 13900 Biella | |
Tickets Due to the limited capacity due to COVID-19, ONLINE PRE-PURCHASE OF TICKETS IS RECOMMENDED. To access the exhibition it is necessary to show the ticketing staff the green certification COVID-19 (Green Pass), proving the inoculation of at least the first Sars-CoV- vaccine dose 2, recovery from Sars-CoV-2 infection (valid for 6 months) or the result of a rapid molecular or antigen test with negative result for Sars-CoV-2 virus (valid for 48 hours). Full € 10.00 / reduced € 8.00. Please note: For holders of the Piedmont Valle d'Aosta Museum Subscription card who would like to pre-purchase tickets on our presale portal, simply purchase the generic Free ticket and then present the card at the ticket office on the day of the visit (the Subscription/card code field does not refer to to the Piedmont Valle d'Aosta Museum Subscription). |
By presenting the ticket purchased at any of the other museums of the Biellese Museum Network*, you will be entitled to enter at a reduced price.
* Palazzo Ferrero, Palazzo La Marmora, Museum of the Biellese Territory, MeBo - Menabrea Botalla Museum, Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto, Museum of the Treasures of Oropa, Botanical Garden of Oropa, Falseum, Casa Zegna, Factory of the wheel.
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Marilyn Monroe - Hollywood, 1961 - ©Douglas Kirkland/Photo Op
A visit to the exhibition is the ideal opportunity for a weekend to discover our territory. Industrial history and archeology, lots of nature just a few steps from the city with exceptional green areas such as the Burcina Park and the Zegna Oasis, the Sanctuary of Oropa and other spiritual places, the Ricetto di Candelo, a splendidly preserved medieval jewel, Lake Viverone and much more. Without forgetting the flavors of Piedmontese cuisine, our fine wines and the textile "know-how" that in 2019 earned Biella its entry into the Unesco Creative Cities network.
Learn moreBiella is located roughly halfway between Turin and Milan.
If you arrive by car: Once you reach the center, we recommend that you go up to the village of the Piazzo with the suggestive Funicular (you can take it in Piazza Curiel and it is free). Once you have gone up to the Piazzo go left, cross Piazza Cisterna and continue for about 5 minutes on foot to Palazzo Gromo Losa, which you will find on your right. Alternatively, you can leave your car at the "Piazzo Parking" (which is also free) and head up from Via Ivrea / Via Mentegazzi to reach the village of the Piazzo by taking the lift inside the parking lot. Palazzo Gromo Losa will be on your right once you reach Corso del Piazzo.
If you arrive by train: From the Biella San Paolo station, take the bus (line 360 or 900) and get off in Piazza Curiel, then go up to the village of Piazzo with the Funicular (free). Once you have gone up to the Piazzo go left, cross Piazza Cisterna and continue for about 5 minutes by walk to Palazzo Gromo Losa, which you will find on your right.
