Fresh on the heels of this winter’s Pitti Immagine fairs, another chic, style-centric showcase has arrived in town: the exhibition Aldo Fallai: From Giorgio Armani to the Renaissance at Villa Bardini and the Stefano Bardini museum. Fallai is best known for his collaborations with fashion designer Armani. Running until March 16, this is the first monographic show of Fallai’s extensive body of work, displaying about 200 photographs.
A born-and-bred Florentine, Fallai came to prominence in the late 1970s when he was working on fashion campaigns with Armani. Through a creative partnership that lasted almost 25 years, the two men were instrumental in revitalizing the ‘Made in Italy’ label. In addition to his work with Armani, Fallai has photographed for such labels as Calvin Klein, Salvatore Ferragamo, Valentino and Hugo Boss. He still lives and works in both his hometown and Milan.
Martina Corgnati, art critic and one of the exhibition’s curators, has spoken about how Fallai’s photographs lack the superficiality so often seen in fashion photography. She particularly emphasizes his portrayal of modern, autonomous women ‘who are not just attractive, but fascinating.’ Fallai was known for promoting a more progressive, occasionally androgynous image of both women and men in the midst of social and political changes in the 1970s and 1980s.
That certain je ne sais quoi that Fallai captured is apparent throughout the exhibition, extending even to Fallai’s photos of such contemporary fashion darlings as Agyness Deyn. Spread across two venues, the photos, which are organised thematically, provide a comprehensive overview of a tremendously prolific and influential career.
Aldo Fallai: From Giorgio Armani to the Renaissance. Photos 1975–2013
Until March 16, 2014
Villa Bardini and Museo S. Bardini, Florence
Costa San Giorgio, 2 and via dei Renai, 37
