From the sacredness of images of Our Lady of Milk, a classical Renaissance iconography of motherhood, to the most extreme of secularizations, namely the commercial use of her image. The breast with its multiple values and related symbolism is at the center of the path of the group exhibition Breasts in Venice.
The exhibition curated by Carolina Pasti opened in the splendid rooms of Palazzo Franchetti, the headquarters of Art Capital Partners overlooking the Grand Canal, on the occasion of the opening of the Biennale and will be on view until Nov. 24. While, on the Meta platforms, the sight of nipples is still partly banned and the controversy continues over which images and moments of a woman's life, such as breastfeeding, can be shown and what is the boundary between pornography and sharing, the exhibition investigates the narrative power of the décolleté and the fascination that involves it transfigured in the works of more than thirty artists of different genres, from sculpture to painting via photography: among them Salvador Dali with the surrealist work Nude with Snail Breasts, Robert Mapplethorpe and Irving Penn with their dreamlike photos, Laure Prouvost with the video Four for See Beauties that chronicles human transformation, Laura Panno whose career for 40 years has been inspired by the breast, but also Christopher Bucklow and Lakin Ogunbanwo, two artists close to the world of fashion who place models at the center of representation.
Also part of the exhibition is a Venetian glass and bronze sculpture by Prune Nourry, an artist whose perspective has been "redrawn" by the experience of breast cancer, transforming a personal struggle with the disease into a universal narrative. It is precisely to the IEO-Monzino Foundation's breast cancer prevention and research that 30 percent of the catalog's funds are dedicated: in fact, the exhibition aims to bring attention to the importance of prevention through the beauty of creativity, thanks also to the support of Intimissimi, the main sponsor, which has a special bond with art in all its forms, made explicit, for example, through its support of the opera season at the Arena di Verona.
On the occasion of Breasts, the brand, which has always lived as a mission the empowerment of women and the awareness for each of them of their own potential, unveils the art of lingerie, a process in which the prototype takes shape through the alkyl fusion of more than 30 components. The iconic Intimissimi bra, in a shot created by Buchanan Studio, welcomes visitors to the exhibition, who are called to walk through an installation in shades of pink, a symbol of breast health awareness, of draped curtains and lamps resembling breasts. An invitation to be enchanted by the expressive power of the décolleté and to convince oneself, if there is still a need, to take care of it.