Inside the New Gucci Garden Archetypes Exhibition Celebrating the Brand’s 100th Birthday

05/26/21

Within the Gucci Garden in Florence is a garden of archetypes—an immersive and multi-sensory space that explores the campaigns of the House from the last six years and the creative manifesto of Alessandro Michele.

An archetype is the original model of something, the source. As such, it can never be recreated as a copy of itself, but rather informs and influences what comes after. In the same way, the advertising campaigns of Gucci over the last six years, complementary to the creative vision of Alessandro Michele, represent an absolutely unique moment, food for thought on universal themes and on creativity itself.

Visions, questions, and standpoints are illustrated within the exhibit immersed within the kaleidoscopic aesthetic of Alessandro Michele, multiplying in diverse inspirations and other archetypes that range from art and music to modern metropolises and utopian worlds, where the border between past, present and future, between history and mythology, continues to move. The journey travels through time and outside of it, going back to where it all began, in Florence—the city where, one hundred years ago, Guccio Gucci founded the Maison.

The circle closes and the voyage begins again: at the entrance, visitors are welcomed by a control room with 30 screens that intermittently show images from the campaigns presented in the rooms to come. Glimpses of Los Angeles, Berlin and Tokyo alternate with visions of enchanted gardens and intergalactic landscapes, ark builders are seen alongside compulsive collectors, dancers, irreverent smiles, partying pop stars, youth in revolt, horses waiting at a car wash. The worlds are parallel, sometimes overlapping, to be explored in the company of suggestions and reflections.

“I thought it was interesting to accompany people in these first six years of adventure, inviting them to cross the imaginary, the narrative, the unexpected, the glitter. So, I created a playground of emotions that are the same as in the campaigns, because they are the most explicit journey into my imagery,” says Alessandro Michele.

The sensorial journey continues with the new Gucci Garden eau de parfum, joining The Alchemist’s Garden luxury collection, available as a limited edition of 1,000 numbered bottles made from black lacquered glass as an homage to the uniqueness of this creative space. The key ingredient is the broom flower, traditionally associated with magic and alchemy, and the fragrance offers floral, sweet, honey-like and fruity notes, with a hint of bitterness and warm tobacco-like nuances.

A multi-sensory exhibit dedicated to the advertising campaigns of Alessandro Michele.Gucci Garden Archetypes

‘THE DIONYSUS DANCE’ CRUISE 2016

A multi-sensory exhibit dedicated to the advertising campaigns of Alessandro Michele.Gucci Garden Archetypes

‘TOKYO LIGHTS’ FALL WINTER 2016

In observance of current regulations related to the coronavirus pandemic, opening hours are as follows:Monday to Friday: 10am to 7pm, no reservation requiredSaturday, Sunday and holidays: 10am to 7pm, reservation required (please email guccigarden@gucci.com or call +3905575927010)