FRANCO FOREVER: A new exhibition bowing in Milan will spotlight the creative genius of the late Franco Moschino.
Opening Friday at the MyOwnGallery space in the city’s Tortona fashion and design district, the showcase marks the 30th anniversary since the designer’s untimely death in September 1994.
The show, titled “Franco Moschino. The Visionary Genius,” gathers images, video interviews and memorabilia aiming to retrace the designer’s career and nonconformist bent.
Taking center stage at the gallery space are portraits of the late designer shot by Stefano Pandini, who worked closely with Moschino during his last 10 years on advertising campaigns, look book images and as his personal photographer.
Disguised as a muscled hunk, a blonde lady, a sailor smoking a pipe or Bacchus, Moschino is spotlighted as a spirited and humorous designer who in the ‘80s and ’90s contributed to shape Italian fashion with his provocative attitude that extended to ready-to-wear, advertising and communication.
An image from the “Franco Moschino. The Visionary Genius” exhibition in Milan.
Courtesy of Italian Art Directors Club
In addition to images by Pandini, the exhibit features interviews with figures from those decades including philosopher Gianni Mereghetti, designer Massimo Foroni and model Violeta Sanchez, among others.
The show is organized and curated by the Italian Art Directors Club, which since 1985 has grouped professionals in the advertising and communication sectors, with the support of fashion and design school Istituto Marangoni and beauty company Neutro Roberts.
Stefania Siani, president of the Italian Art Directors Club, characterized Moschino as a “unique fashion pioneer, whose impact on creativity and contemporary aesthetics is still palpable.”
“We will remember the man behind the brand, the rebel thinker and creative who managed to defy fashion and society’s conventions. A man who was able to subvert expectations and inspire entire generations, not only as a designer but also as a publicist, painter, social critic and contemporary philosopher,” she added.
As part of its tie-up with the exhibition, Istituto Marangoni tasked its students with developing creative projects honoring Moschino’s legacy. These will be displayed at the show as a tribute to the designer who was himself a student at the Milan fashion school.
“The young students at Istituto Marangoni… managed to grasp and re-elaborate the iconic vocabulary of Moschino, bringing to life creations that blend irony, style and provocation in a unique celebration of art and fashion,” said Stefania Valenti, managing director at Istituto Marangoni.
An image from the “Franco Moschino. The Visionary Genius” exhibition in Milan.
Courtesy of Italian Art Directors Club
The exhibition will remain open to the public, free of charge, until Dec. 19.
A photographic book and a series of fine art pictures will be on sale, with proceeds allocated to the Moschino Foundation in support of an hospice outside Milan for terminally ill patients.