VERDURA ANNOUNCES THE POWER OF STYLE: VERDURA AT 75
An unprecedented retrospective exhibition of the Master Jeweler curated by Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera and Patricia Lansing
October 14 – December 23, 2014
To mark its 75th Anniversary on New York’s Fifth Avenue, Verdura will present The Power of Style: Verdura at 75, a retrospective exhibition featuring over 150 jewels created by the master jeweler Duke Fulco di Verdura. The exhibition will be curated by three internationally admired style-makers: Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera, longtime friends of Verdura, and their daughter Patricia Lansing. The Power of Style: Verdura at 75 will be the most important retrospective exhibition in the history of the company and will be open to the public from October 14 thru December 23 at 745 Fifth Avenue, in a new gallery space adjacent to the company’s flagship. The exhibition will feature a selection of more than 150 of Duke Fulco di Verdura’s original jewels and objets d’art as well as a small selection of his 10,000 gouache jewelry designs, archival materials, his personal miniature paintings, and rare period photographs.
Duke Fulco di Verdura was always a private ‘upstairs’ jeweler, creating bespoke pieces for his notable friends and clients. He began his career working with Coco Chanel in Paris where he created her signature Maltese Cross cuffs. In 1934, Verdura came to the United States to create spectacular jewels for the greatest Hollywood stars, and a virtual Who’s Who of American and European society.
Ward Landrigan purchased the company in 1984, six years after the duke’s death. He says, “For thirty years, it’s been my dream to share Verdura’s genius with a wider audience and bring him the recognition he deserves as the single most influential jeweler of the 20th Century. I want people to know this amazing man, who he was and why his work changed everything. Collectors from around the world have readily agreed to lend us their private treasures for three months and many have shared their reminiscences of time spent with Verdura.”
Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera knew Duke Fulco di Verdura who, like them, was internationally known for great taste and personal style. We asked them, together with their daughter Patricia Lansing, to curate the exhibition with a fresh, modern perspective.
Carolina Herrera says, “I am honored to be a part of the exhibition celebrating Verdura’s 75th Anniversary. Fulco di Verdura understood how to create elegant, whimsical pieces, two elements not often found in harmony, and he achieved this with such ease. His jewelry is so beautiful and is an ongoing source of inspiration.”
“Everything he did was wonderful. He was a great artist, like someone from the Renaissance.”
Diana Vreeland
“Fulco’s references to nature and culture keep his work classic. But without question he was a revolutionary, the one who changed everything. Fulco made it all modern.”
Babs Simpson,Vogue Fashion Editor 1947-1972
The Power of Style: Verdura at 75, is to be shown only in New York and will be open to the public from October 14 thru December 23, 2014, Monday thru Friday from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturdays starting November 29 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and will be held at 745 Fifth Avenue in gallery space adjacent to Verdura’s flagship location.
