(Parma, 17 September 2024) – From ointments stored in Egyptian balsam jars, in Greek, Syrian, and Roman alabastrons, to the exploration of the final frontier of space design and the discovery of lunar “houses.”  A journey from perfumes to space, set to the music of the Beatles. Three collateral shows enrich Mercanteinfiera Autumn, the international exhibition of historical design, modern antiques and vintage collectibles, which returns to Fiere di Parma from 12 to 20 October.

This edition spans five centuries of style and taste right up to out-of-production pieces by universally recognized designers such as Gio Ponti, Gaetano Pesce, Franco Albini, Iosa Ghini, Joe Colombo, and Vico Magistretti, just to name a few.

A journey that also showcases the history of perfume with the exhibition “The Shape of Perfume: the art and history of bottles”, in collaboration with the Monica Magnani Collection. Clay, glass, Capodimonte porcelain, mother-of-pearl, tagua and corozo: the display of perfume holders features a mix of eras and traditions. Objects like a 17th-century German perfume box, created at a time when perfume was still used as a balsam and as protection against diseases. There are perfume holders that literally tell a story, such as a green glass and brass bottle attached to a men’s watch chain, displaying a cannon and words in Bulgarian meaning “Society of the Klisura Valley of Evil” and the date 1876, the year of the “April Uprising” when many Bulgarian villages rebelled against the Ottoman Empire.

“Shoot for the Moon: how we will live on our satellite”, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), takes us beyond the Earth’s orbit, in an exploration of all aspects of space design and its crucial role in efforts to return and stay on the Moon, 54 years after the historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Photographs, drawings and futuristic materials illustrate the pioneering work of men and women dedicated to pushing that “extra millimetre toward the unknown,” as Tommaso Ghidini writes in Homo Caelestis.

Men and women who envision a world without borders, like the one John Lennon sang about in Imagine. Fittingly, the third collateral exhibition is dedicated to the “boys from Liverpool”:  “Beatlemania: a stroll through the history of the Fab Four“, in collaboration with the Beatles Museum in Brescia and with the support of the Beatlesiani d’Italia Associati.

This show celebrates the 60th anniversary of “A Hard Day’s Night”,  the title of the song and album Beatles, as well as of their film, which in Italy was given the title TUTTI PER UNO! (All for one!) With A Hard Day’s Night, “Beatlemania” exploded from England to the USA and then spread throughout the world.

“Mercanteinfiera,” says brand manager Ilaria Dazzi, “expresses the very essence of the collector, someone we can truly say is engaged in a grand mission: to save a corner of the world, no matter how big or small. We live in objects and objects speak about us, they tell us stories. That’s why we are so stubbornly determined to save and preserve them. Mercanteinfiera is a true encyclopaedia of the world.”

An encyclopaedia to browse through in the four exhibition halls of the exhibition centre where – alongside signature design, antiques, modern antiques and vintage collectibles – jewellery, the great names in collectible watches (Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Hublot), and the entire alluring arsenal of vintage fashion are also on display.

An international exhibition (with over 6,000 buyers expected) that is increasingly attracting Generation Y buyers (those born between 1980 and 1994), who, according to the latest Deloitte report, represent 40% of new bidders and are interested not only in works by contemporary artists but also in design, bags and jewellery.

“The strength of the exhibition”, concludes Dazzi, “is its ability to unite people and objects as, edition after edition, it continues to attract new audiences and anticipate trends. It is truly an expression of ‘kaleidoscopic’ collecting”.

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