This spring, Sotheby’s is teaming up with fashion afficianado Margherita Maccapani Missoni to handpick a personal edit of artworks for ‘Contemporary Curated’, an online sale of contemporary art. Hailing from a family whose surname has become synonymous with colourfully zigzagged and space-dyed knits, Margherita recently took over as creative director of ‘M Missoni’ – a younger offshoot of her family’s famed fashion house. ‘Re-use’, ‘remix’ and ‘respect’ are the cornerstones of M Missoni. Old advertisments have been pillaged for clothing prints, traditional logos and archive prints have been rewritten with a contemporary twist, and the label’s tried and trusty patchwork is reimagined in new prints. Applauded for embracing sustainable heritage, finger-on-the-pulse instincts and a playful, experiential approach, Margherita stands at the forefront of the fashion world, her influence extending across the globe.
For the eighth edition of the ‘Contemporary Curated’ series in London, Margherita has carefully crafted a compelling selection of artworks, bringing to light a lesser-known aspect of the designer’s distinct creative vision. Artists featured include Eddie Martinez, Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama, Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Alighiero Boetti, Yoshitomo Nara, George Condo, Victor Vasarely, Katherina Grosse, Fahrelnissa Zeid and many more.
A cacophony of colours, Margherita’s work is free spirited, irreverent and playful – factors that have influenced her own collecting and which will be reflected in the curation of this sale. Admitting herself that the Missonis are ‘a family of hoarders’, everything the designer collects is imbued with personal resonance, conjuring memories and concepts that she wishes to be reminded of. Margherita inherited her collector gene from her mother Angela, the creative director of Missoni, and her grandmother, 88-year-old Rosita who founded and ran the family brand with her husband Ottavio until 1997. It was with these inspiring women that Margherita scoured flea markets around Europe as a child and continues to do so, breathing new life into old treasures.
With my designs, I try to capture the zeitgeist of today and, the contemporary artworks that excites me are those that similarly speak to the time in which we live in. Art has the ability to take us to new depths, leaving us forever different. My personal aeshetic is very emotional. Everything has a narrative in my experience, I’m drawn to references. This not only influences the way I dress, but the way I work and the art I choose to collect. I selected these works for their contrasting materials and textures – a play of opposites that I gravitate towards in my own designs. From Yayoi Kusama’s psychedlic patterns to Tim Noble & Sue Webster’s neon heart, I hope that these pieces will inspire all, just as they captured my imagination during this process.
>> About the Curator
Margherita Maccapani Missoni was born in 1983, spending her childhood in the Italian countryside and in Milan during the weekends. After graduating from school, Margherita studied philosophy at Columbia University, New York. She went on to study theatre and acted in Jean Genet’s stage production of The Maids.
Granddaughter of Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, who founded her family’s fashion house in 1953, Margherita formerly worked as an ambassador for the house, muse to her mother Angela Missoni the longtime creative director, and has starred as the face of the brand. In 2010, Margherita became the accessories director for Missoni, before a break in which she designed her own childrenswear line before taking on the brand’s younger line, M Missoni.
>> Margherita's Picks
Contemporary Curated will be open for bidding online between 14 – 21 April
Images are available to download here.
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Alicia Stockley | Alicia.Stockley@Sothebys.com
About Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as Advisory services for collectors, museums, corporations, artists, estates and foundations. Sotheby’s presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including three retail businesses: Sotheby’s Wine, Sotheby’s Diamonds, and Sotheby’s Home, the online marketplace for interior design.
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