Portrait Milano, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, is the canvas for an extraordinary exhibition by Juergen Teller until 5 October. In his photo exhibition ‘3 Days in Florence’, Teller pays tribute to the beauty and uniqueness of Florence and combines fashion, art and culture. In line with the contemporary vision of Maximilian Davis, Creative Director of Ferragamo, regarding the ‘New Renaissance’, the artworks will be exhibited on the façade of the historic Portrait Milano building and can be seen until 5 October.
Jürgen Teller
Juergen Teller is an award-winning and renowned contemporary art and fashion photographer, recognised as one of the best in the world. Teller portrays all his subjects with a style characterised by raw realism, strong emotion and a dash of irony that make up his distinctive aesthetic. His unique portraits feature supermodels, celebrities and ordinary people, taking a direct and candid approach. Teller has stated that even with his most famous sitters, he relies on their humanity to bring out their true essence. His works can be found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Stadtmuseum in Munich and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among others.
‘We thought long and hard about how and where, and I am very proud of what we have done for Ferragamo in Florence. It makes a lot of sense to me,’ says Juergen Teller.
It is precisely this mixture of irony, realism and authenticity that prompted Marco Gobbetti and Maximilian Davis to choose him to immortalise Salvatore Ferragamo’s Florence in the autumn/winter campaign ‘3 Days in Florence’ in a series of shots reminiscent of the great noir of Italian cinema.
Under Tellers lens, Florence is transformed into a film set that conceptually brings together the worlds so beloved by Salvatore Ferragamo: Hollywood and Florence. This thematic connection has deep roots for the House of Ferragamo. Salvatore Ferragamo was born in Bonito, a small town in southern Italy, in 1898 and moved to the United States, where he became famous in Hollywood. But it was Florence, a city he discovered in 1927, that captured his heart. For him, Florence was the best symbol of Italian culture, art and craftsmanship – a view shared by many Americans, especially in California, where Ferragamo had built his career.
The campaign
For the ‘3 Days in Florence’ campaign, Davis and Teller have assembled a cast that embodies the spirit of a new renaissance to bring their vision to life: supermodels Raquel Zimmerman and Lina Zhang, Somali activist Yasmin Warsame, French scholar Maia Tellit Hawad, German model Tim Schuhmacher and iconic art and music director Peter Saville. The reality of the city, expressed in its historic architecture, is brought to life through Teller’s unique perspective on modernity. ‘There is a sense of connection in its immediacy,’ explains Maximilian Davis. ‘In the times we live in, that’s what people are looking for. I’m interested in seeing real people in Florence and how they wear Ferragamo.’
Portrait Milano – Host of Ferragamo’s Florentine Journey
The exhibition
The exhibition will take place in the piazza of Portrait Milano, a place closely linked to the Ferragamo family through its president Leonardo Ferragamo. Portrait Milano has been lovingly restored with the aim of promoting a dialogue between fashion, art and hospitality, with authenticity and integrity, based on the core values of Salvatore Ferragamo. Authenticity and integrity are also part of Juergen Teller´s work and make Portrait Milano the ideal place to exhibit ‘3 Days in Florence’ and bring Maximilian Davis’ vision of the “New Renaissance” to Milan.
‘3 Days in Florence’ by Juergen Teller can be seen at Portrait Milano in Corso Venezia 11 until 5 October 2024.
About Portrait Milano
Portrait is the flagship brand of the Lungarno Collection, a hotel management company owned by the Ferragamo family. After Rome and Florence, in 2022 Portrait Milano opened not just a hotel, but a real destination in the heart of Milan. In the impressive premises of the former archbishop’s seminary, carefully restored by architect Michele De Lucchi, 73 rooms and suites designed by architect Michele Bönan exude Portrait’s bespoke hospitality.
At the centre of this magnificent building is the Piazza del Quadrilatero with an area of over 2,800 m², which opens up to the city and creates a new promenade linking Corso Venezia with Via Sant’Andrea, one of the most important streets in the fashion district. The elegant seventeenth-century colonnade is surrounded by restaurants, bars, boutiques and wellness centres. The Portrait Milano is a member of the Leading Hotels of The World.