A new chapter at the house of Gucci

Palazzo Gucci, a multidisciplinary, immersive space, located in the heart of Florence, Italy, at the 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia, has reopened (27th April) with Gucci Storia: a new, two-floor exhibition curated by artistic director Demna, focussing on the “shared destiny of the house and its birthplace.”

The immersive odyssey unfolds through nine rooms showcasing archival pieces, craftsmanship, and chronicling the fashion house's 105-year history. These explorative spaces form part of a cultural hub where guests are invited to linger and soak in the surroundings, spending time at the gallery, boutique and bookstore, before dining at the Michelin-starred Gucci Osteria helmed by chef Takahiko Kondo, which is just steps away. 

The exhibition begins on the lower floor in Room 1: The Thread of Time, where wall tapestries narrate the history of the house across four scenes referencing Florence as the birthplace of the Renaissance. The hyper-modern images, realised as textile art, are underpinned by tongue-in-cheek wit. They depict key characters in Gucci's story: from founder Guccio Gucci who is shown in his early years as a porter at London's Savoy Hotel to designer Tom Ford, who is represented by pop icon Madonna, shrouded in angelic light, wearing his famous blue silk blouse and black trousers from the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. The works go on to highlight defining eras under Frida Giannini, Alessandro Michele, Sabato De Sarno and Demna, who is seen “shaping the future of Gucci.”

Room 2 is "the Gallery", which manifests as a traditional portrait gallery framing visuals by Catherine Opie from La Famiglia – the debut collection and campaign for Gucci under Demna, proclaimed as a "new era" of "unapologetically sexy, extravagant, and daring" luxury for the house. In the next room, Archivio, guests discover an archive or time capsule, featuring a system of drawers containing Gucci’s most idiosyncratic objects: tennis bags, shaving kits and scarves, arranged alongside other artefacts. There is also a Cinema (Room 4) displaying a rotating collection of videos and films within a monochromatic space, and Generation Gucci (Room 5), featuring large-scale photographic compositions shot by Demna. The final door on the lower floor leads into La Manifattura, which is divided into two zones: the first explores Gucci’s heritage of craftsmanship, rooted in the historic workshops of Palazzo Settimanni, and features icons like the Bamboo 1947, the Jackie 1961, the Horsebit 1955 and the Horsebit 1953 loafer, arranged within recessed niches that create a timeline of invention. The second lab-like space is a place of experimentation, displaying novel processes and techniques, and robotic arms that test material resilience – a nod to Gucci’s futuristic ArtLab, which it established in Scandicci on the outskirts of Florence in 2018 as a centre for prototyping and researching leather goods and footwear.

Once on the second floor, the journey continues into Room 7 La Materia, where the history of Gucci’s ready-to-wear identity is told through a series of floating mannequins that appear suspended in time. In Room 8: La Stanza della Verità (The Room of Truth) one steps into an office-living room with an '80s aesthetic. It was rumoured that during the era of power lunches and shoulder pads, select guests in New York would receive golden keys by post, granting them access to this hidden sanctuary above the NY store – where they would be shown rare works and one-of-a-kind pieces. Having stepped back in time, the journey ends at L'Oracolo, a contemporary space featuring an interactive interface allowing viewers to discover more about the house before they leave for lunch or a spot of shopping.