People familiar with the history of Italian radical art, architecture and design know quite well the work of Ugo La Pietra, who was mentioned here and there in previous posts on this site.
You could easily file La Pietra under the "visionary mind" category since he is a figure very much projected into the future, interested in researching new materials and technologies with a childish glee and curiosity and in coming up with interior design projects and architectural theories about urban spaces.
It was therefore surprising to see five of his "Infinite Columns", totem-like ceramic sculptures, appearing in the first Loewe shop that recently opened in the very fashionable Via Montenapoleone, Milan.
The boutique of the Spanish fashion house will be selling garments and accessories, but also smaller versions of La Pietra's artworks. The latter are based on his will to find alternative uses for ordinary objects: some of his "Infinite Columns" are indeed piles of ordinary plant pot-like pieces stacked in totemic formations.
In his heyday La Pietra was known for his futuristic design for Milanese boutique Altre Cose, so this is definitely not the first time his name is linked with the fashion industry.
Yet, while it is exciting to see the artist, architect, designer, theorist and cultural agitator back on the "fashion scene" (and on the exhibition circuit - during the last few months his works have indeed reappeared in quite a few events), this collaboration makes you think.
Loewe is a mainstream brand owned by the LVMH Group and La Pietra has always been a radical mind, so it's only natural to wonder if the mainstream is catching up with a radical past it has missed, if it is simply appropriating it or if the wealthy mainstream is now a viable and acceptable option for radicals and rebels (and in case which other cultural agitators is the mainstream ready to welcome?).
The questions remain, in the meantime, you can get to know more about La Pietra's works at the exhibition "Ritratti di Città" (Portraits of Cities; until 16th November 2014), that features a series of wonderful architectural studies on cities from the 1900s on (and two works by La Pietra - including "Immagine della Città", 1974), at Villa Olmo, Como, Italy.
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