Mercanteinfiera Spring moves to May or June

 

New prospect for the 26th edition of Mercanteinfiera – The extension of the current state of emergency means rescheduling to 2 new hypothetical dates.

A permanent forum on the opportunities provided by the digital channel is starting immediately and the Exhibition will feature Kenneth Jay Lane’s democratic jewels.

 

Parma, 18 January – Mercanteinfiera, the Fiere di Parma event dedicated to Antiques, Vintage Collectibles and Historical Design, is postponed to either mid-May or mid-June. The current pandemic and the resulting unpredictability of the situation have led Fiere di Parma to reschedule the original exhibition dates (March 6-14).

The decision was motivated by the need and priority to protect the exhibitors’ investments. The change of date will serve to ensure the same flow of visitors and foreign buyers that Mercanteinfiera has always provided.

Two possibilities are currently being considered: whether to organize the exhibition for mid-May or mid-June. In any case, this choice will need to take into account the situation of the pandemic and the progress of the vaccination campaign. Our objective: to participate in the gradual economic and business recovery in Italy and in the world.

In 2021, too, Mercanteinfiera will be a physical exhibition so as to provide an opportunity for the international community to return to Italy. In the meantime, the event will capitalize on the matching generated in recent months by its online platform and, above all, by the abundant content already organized after the 2020 Autumn edition.

A panel of online and digital content (interviews and further insights) will be made available to users as early as February, with the aim of supporting the common thread linking not only the business but, above all, the cultural aspects of Mercanteinfiera to its large international community.

Kenneth Jay Lane, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 85, will be the star feature of the 26th edition of Mercanteinfiera. Loved by stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Lady Gaga, Liz Taylor and Joan Collins (the designer’s jewels were also worn in the TV series Dynasty), he was a key interpreter of the American democratic spirit through his mass-produced creations because, as he loved to say, “if a diamond is forever, a rhinestone is for everyone.”

The show entitled “Brilliant Illusions: a homage to Kenneth Jay Lane” is curated by Maria Teresa Cannizzaro, collector, scholar of American costume jewellery and President of the Passato e Futuro cultural association – Italian Vintage Fashion & Costume Jewellery Club section – and by Fiorella Operto, costume historian, Vice-President and a keen collector.

As always, there are antiques, design d’auteur and vintage collectibles: a collection of fascinating and evocative pieces ranging from the 15th century to the Baroque, from Art Deco to Liberty and vintage. Therefore, browsing through the numerous exhibitors it is not unusual to find a Christ from the Flemish school or a brass bookcase by Romeo Rega. All this, perhaps, not far from a rare 18th-century atlas, a brightly coloured Emile Gallé vase or a precious tortoiseshell travel desk made by the cabinet maker Pierre Gole.

At Fiere di Parma, inspiration also comes from distant destinations such as China – with a 15th-century statue depicting a placid dignitary – and from Japan, with its jades, and then circles back to Italy,  with Carla Tolomeo’s upholstered chairs and Mario Buccellati’s romantic evening bags from the early 1920s, strictly out of production.

And, of course, design, featuring the names that have made Italy famous around the world: Gio Ponti, Franco Albini, Fornasetti, Castiglioni and Ettore Sottsass, to name only a few.

Iconic pieces, as well as playful ones, such as the unexpected 1969 Elvis coffee machine, which was inspired by the beloved Pink Cadillac Fleetwood.

That’s because Mercanteinfiera is not just an exhibition where to make purchases, but a place of curiosity and memory for planning emotions.

 

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PRESS OFFICE

Antonella Maia
Mercanteinfiera Press Office
Mobile +39 349 349.4757783
press@antonellamaia.com
www.antonellamaia.com