Young Masters:
Deutsche Bank celebrates the opening
of its collection in Milan
For
almost a year, studios and galleries all over Italy were combed through;
works of art were viewed, discussed, and finally selected for the Deutsche
Bank Collection Italy. The time finally arrived in March: the new
collection – a homage to Italy – presented itself to the public.
Opening of the Deutsche Bank Collection Italy:
Friedhelm Hütte, Claudia Schicktanz, Frank Boehm, Ulrich Kissing, Vincenzo de
Bustis, Massimo Zanelli, Vittorio Sgarbi, Gianni Testoni (f.l.to r.)
The Italian news magazine Panorama
also reported on the "huge party at the
Deutsche Bank headquarters" where TV and newspaper reporters crowded the
spacious foyer of the bank’s new headquarters in Milan together with
numerous guests. Hundreds of art lovers made the trip to La Bicocca to
attend the official opening of the
Deutsche Bank Collection Italy. The former industrial quarter surrounding
the Pirelli factory has been
experiencing a revival since the ’80s. Along with companies like Deutsche
Bank, a university and the opera house
Teatro degli Arcimboldi, opened in 2002, provide new impulses in the area,
whose tradition reaches back to the 15th century. The name La Bicocca – in
English "small fort" – comes from the influential dynasty of the
Arcimboldo family. This is where they had their country retreat and
hunting grounds. The clan brought forth an important artist, as well: the
Mannerist painter
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593), who produced almost surreal-looking
portraits composed of flowers, fruits, and animals.
Patrick Tuttofuoco, X-Flag, 2006,
Commissioned work for Deutsche Bank's Headquarters in Milan, Photo:
Roberto Marossi
But you won’t find Old
Masters at Deutsche Bank’s brand-new Italian office. Die DB Collection
Italy focuses on young art, which was introduced to the staff the day
before the opening event. Standing beneath
Patrick Tuttofuoco’s suspended light sculpture X-Flag, CEO
and Country Head of Deutsche Bank Italy Vincenzo de Bustis welcomed the
many colleagues interested in art together with Pier Paolo Cellerino, Head
of Personnel. After that, Claudia Schicktanz elucidated the bank’s
traditional commitment to supporting the fine arts and Professor Frank
Boehm explained the
Milan Project. The two curated the new collection together with Friedhelm
Hütte, Director of
Deutsche Bank Art.
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Marcello Maloberti, The Dizziness of Lady
Emilia 2 Deutsche Bank Collection
Then, staff had the opportunity to find out more about the art they
encounter at the workplace on a daily basis. In a guided tour, young art
historians elucidated some of the key pieces, from the commissioned work
X-Flag in the foyer to the classics of Italian art photography adorning
the board’s offices on the sixth floor:
Gabriele Basilico’s cool, elegant black and white studies of
Milanese industrial architecture and atmospheric shots of everyday Italian
life by Luigi
Ghirri.
Gabriele Basilico, Factory , 1983,
Deutsche Bank Collection
A total of five
Italian artists were commissioned by Deutsche Bank Italy to create
installations for the headquarters, which were designed by
Gino Valle. One of these is
Luca Vitone, who sets out to redefine concepts such as homeland and
cultural identity. In his work Mare Nostrum, Valle investigates
cliché images of Italy: stylized sea waves extend along a hallway wall, on
top of which a silhouette of Italy is pieced together from framed
postcards of popular vacation spots. Italy is the central theme of the art
in the Milan headquarters.
Armin Linke, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, 1999,
Deutsche Bank Collection
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