Milan's prestigious Pinacoteca di Brera has launched a groundbreaking exhibition that places fashion designs by the late Giorgio Armani alongside masterpieces by Renaissance giants including Caravaggio, Raphael, and Bellini. The exhibition, titled "Giorgio Armani: Milano, per amore," features more than 120 pieces designed by Armani strategically arranged throughout the museum's permanent collection. The show opened on Wednesday, September 24, coinciding with the start of Milan Fashion Week.
The exhibition holds special significance as it represents Armani's final project, with the legendary designer overseeing the planning until shortly before his death this month. According to Angelo Crespi, the Pinacoteca's director, all decisions about the exhibition's layout and presentation were made by Armani himself. "Armani was and remains the symbol of Brera," Crespi told The Art Newspaper, emphasizing the designer's deep connection to the district where he had lived since the 1980s.
The exhibition was originally conceived to celebrate 50 years since the launch of the Armani fashion house in the Brera district, near the designer's lavish home on Via Borgonuovo. As part of the celebration, the museum will host a Giorgio Armani-curated catwalk show in the museum's courtyard on September 28, just steps away from where the designer lived and worked for decades.
Many of the garments on display appear to draw direct inspiration from specific artworks in the Pinacoteca's collection. A carefully arranged cluster of dark garments featuring white accents, including a striking black-and-white sequined suit and an elegant velvet tailcoat adorned with a floral brooch, emphasizes the dramatic chiaroscuro effects found in Caravaggio's "Supper at Emmaus" (1606). In another section, mannequins dressed in sand-colored blouses and cotton trench coats echo the veiled Muslim women depicted kneeling in Bellini's monumental "St. Mark Preaching in Alexandria" (1504-1507).
However, Crespi revealed that during a visit to the museum last year, Armani expressed a more humble approach to his artistic vision. The designer paused before Mantegna's "Lamentation over the Dead Christ" and told Crespi, "I don't want to compare myself with these masters." According to the museum director, Armani was more interested in capturing the overall atmosphere and color palettes of the museum's various rooms rather than making direct comparisons between his work and the Renaissance masterpieces.
The exhibition aims to offer visitors a fresh perspective on both fashion and fine art by encouraging new ways of seeing and understanding both mediums. "Art history and fashion come together, inviting visitors to discover striking chromatic and material contrasts," according to a museum press release. This innovative approach allows guests to appreciate aspects of both the garments and paintings in an entirely new light.
This is not the first time Armani's work has been displayed in a major museum setting. The designer previously exhibited at other prestigious institutions during his lifetime, including a notable 2001 show at New York's Guggenheim Museum. Gian Luca Bauzano, a fashion writer at Corriere della Sera, noted the historical significance of that earlier exhibition, explaining that "for the first time, a fashion designer structured a major monographic exhibition around himself."
For the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Armani exhibition represents part of a broader strategy to expand the museum's appeal beyond traditional art enthusiasts. This initiative comes as part of the "Grande Brera" project, a rebranded museum complex that now encompasses the Palazzo Citterio, a new modern art space, and includes Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" in its offerings. The expansion has already proven successful, with visitor numbers experiencing significant growth.
According to Crespi, Brera and Citterio alone are projected to attract 600,000 visitors by the end of this year, representing a 20 percent increase compared to the previous year. This surge in attendance demonstrates the effectiveness of combining traditional fine art with contemporary cultural offerings to create a more diverse and appealing museum experience.
"Giorgio Armani: Milano, per amore" will remain on display at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan through January 11, offering visitors several months to experience this unique fusion of Renaissance art and modern fashion design.
