Oviparity, a surreal take on Gucci

Celebrating the launch of the 2020 Cruise collection, Gucci has released a limited-edition artbook shot by Yorgos Lanthimos, titled Oviparity. The acclaimed Greek director of The Lobster and The Favourite, among others, uses the Gucci lingo to create a totally new universe, idiosyncratic and peculiar, fascinating and strange. Staged at the Leda Gallery of Villa Albani Torlonia built in 1747 in Rome, a cultural powerhouse hosting discussions, concerts, dances and masked comedies, and an exceptional collection of original Greek and Roman sculptures, this is the perfect setting for blending youthfulness with eternity: Lanthimos brings the sculptures and statues to life, posing next to young models in full Gucci attire, taking inspiration from Gucci’s Alessandro Michele to create a body of work inspired by the Villa’s iconic past. Michele also took vast inspiration from the Leda galleries’ namesake statue – Leda and the Swan, embarking on a creative journey together with Lanthimos to bring forth the value of the copy, which in its own strange way, holds its own authenticity. The statue also influenced the artbook’s title; Oviparity, is a zoological term referring to the production of eggs by an animal (Leda was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan and lays two eggs that eventually hatch into her children).

Oviparity is distributed by IDEA Books, the London-based independent publisher, and it will also be available at Gucci Garden in Florence and Gucci Wooster in New York. Thanks to this project, the Leda Gallery of Villa Albani Torlonia will be restored.

Oviparity, a surreal take on Gucci

Celebrating the launch of the 2020 Cruise collection, Gucci has released a limited-edition artbook shot by Yorgos Lanthimos, titled Oviparity. The acclaimed Greek director of The Lobster and The Favourite, among others, uses the Gucci lingo to create a totally new universe, idiosyncratic and peculiar, fascinating and strange. Staged at the Leda Gallery of Villa Albani Torlonia built in 1747 in Rome, a cultural powerhouse hosting discussions, concerts, dances and masked comedies, and an exceptional collection of original Greek and Roman sculptures, this is the perfect setting for blending youthfulness with eternity: Lanthimos brings the sculptures and statues to life, posing next to young models in full Gucci attire, taking inspiration from Gucci’s Alessandro Michele to create a body of work inspired by the Villa’s iconic past. Michele also took vast inspiration from the Leda galleries’ namesake statue – Leda and the Swan, embarking on a creative journey together with Lanthimos to bring forth the value of the copy, which in its own strange way, holds its own authenticity. The statue also influenced the artbook’s title; Oviparity, is a zoological term referring to the production of eggs by an animal (Leda was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan and lays two eggs that eventually hatch into her children).

Oviparity is distributed by IDEA Books, the London-based independent publisher, and it will also be available at Gucci Garden in Florence and Gucci Wooster in New York. Thanks to this project, the Leda Gallery of Villa Albani Torlonia will be restored.

Oviparity,
a surreal take on Gucci

Celebrating the launch of the 2020 Cruise collection, Gucci has released a limited-edition artbook shot by Yorgos Lanthimos, titled Oviparity. The acclaimed Greek director of The Lobster and The Favourite, among others, uses the Gucci lingo to create a totally new universe, idiosyncratic and peculiar, fascinating and strange. Staged at the Leda Gallery of Villa Albani Torlonia built in 1747 in Rome, a cultural powerhouse hosting discussions, concerts, dances and masked comedies, and an exceptional collection of original Greek and Roman sculptures, this is the perfect setting for blending youthfulness with eternity: Lanthimos brings the sculptures and statues to life, posing next to young models in full Gucci attire, taking inspiration from Gucci’s Alessandro Michele to create a body of work inspired by the Villa’s iconic past. Michele also took vast inspiration from the Leda galleries’ namesake statue – Leda and the Swan, embarking on a creative journey together with Lanthimos to bring forth the value of the copy, which in its own strange way, holds its own authenticity. The statue also influenced the artbook’s title; Oviparity, is a zoological term referring to the production of eggs by an animal (Leda was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan and lays two eggs that eventually hatch into her children).

Oviparity is distributed by IDEA Books, the London-based independent publisher, and it will also be available at Gucci Garden in Florence and Gucci Wooster in New York. Thanks to this project, the Leda Gallery of Villa Albani Torlonia will be restored.

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