FONDAZIONE COLOGNI
The Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte is a private nonprofit institution founded in Milan in 1995 by Franco Cologni, the foundations current chairman.
Franco Cologni’s noble goal is to promote a series of cultural initiatives to foster and protect the popularization of artistic crafts.
The Foundation promotes these contents through various means and projects, such as the “Mestieri d’Arte” and “Ricerche” publications, which provide a narrated reconstruction of the history of high Italian craftsmanship, from its origins to the present.
Among other projects, the Foundation promotes “Talented Stories,” which was created to encourage younger generations to learn about and love Italy’s best craft traditions.
The “Una Scuola, un Lavoro. Paths of Excellence” project helped design training internships dedicated to young people and high craftsmanship, including work placements.
The Foundation also publishes a semi-annual magazine called “Mestieri d’Arte & Design. Crafts Culture” – dedicated to the excellence of savoir-faire and design – and carries out several scientific and educational activities, collaborating with prestigious public and private cultural institutions: SDA Bocconi, Politecnico di Milano, Creative Academy, La Triennale, FAI-Fondo Ambiente Italiano, Centre du Luxe et de la Création and INMA-Institut National des Métiers d’Art.
WHO IS FRANCO COLOGNI
Franco Cologni, a philanthropist and a passionate connoisseur of art and culture, graduated in philosophy and literature from the Catholic University of Milan, where he later became a professor of the history of performing arts. Entrepreneur, author and cultural authority, he began his career in the world of luxury, joining Cartier in 1969 and becoming CEO and president of Cartier International within a few years.
The protection and promotion of Italian craftsmanship are very close to Mr. Cologni’s heart, which led him to found the Cologni Foundation of Artistic Crafts in 1995. The aim of this endeavor is clear: to support culture and creativity.
In 2004, he went on to open the Creative Academy in Milan, Richemont’s only international post-graduate design school.
During his tenure as President of the Cologni Foundation, Franco has written and edited numerous books, articles and exhibitions on art and craftsmanship, committing to promoting culture in various contexts. In 2022, his hard work and unwavering passion earned him one of Italy’s most important recognitions, as he was nominated Cavaliere del Lavoro
(Italy’s “Order of Merit for Labor”) for his extraordinary entrepreneurial and cultural skills.
MICHELANGELO FOUNDATION
Another noteworthy project conceived by Franco Cologni is “Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship,” an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance and preserve artistic crafts, reinforcing their ties with the world of contemporary design.
It is no coincidence that the name chosen for the Foundation is “Michelangelo,” a visionary artist and a master craftsman who embodies two apparently opposing concepts: undisputed excellence in manual craftsmanship combined with traditional knowledge and skills, coming together into beautiful and enduring objects.
The Foundation tells the world about the great masters of art from all over Europe: master artisans capable of making timeless objects that rediscover and enhance the great potential of the human hand and genius.
Michelangelo Foundation has established 11 “criteria of excellence” to identify excellence in craftsmanship.
They were developed by Alberto Cavalli, the general director of the Foundation, and researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. After carefully investigating the world of “handmade,” the following parameters were chosen: Authenticity, Expertise, Craftsmanship, Creativity, Innovation, Interpretation, Originality, Talent, Territory, Traditionand Training.
THE FOUNDERS OF THE MICHELANGELO FOUNDATION
Co-founder Johann Rupert accompanies Franco Cologni on this beautiful journey.
South African-born Johann Rupert began his career in banking in New York.
In 1979, he returned to South Africa, where he founded Rand Merchant Bank, while in 1988, he founded Compagnie Financière Richemont, a Swiss-based luxury group of which he is currently chairman.
Rupert won numerous awards throughout his career and was voted South Africa’s Most Influential Leader three times. Finally, he was also named Business Leader of the Year several times and was chosen by the World Economic Forum in 1992 as one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow. Beyond his many business and leadership achievements, Rupert has always worked to promote a healthy society and a better world. He has also been instrumental in creating several organizations that reflect this commitment, such as
the Michelangelo Foundation.
THE DOPPIA FIRMA PROJECT
The seventh edition of Doppia Firma, which was held during the Milan Design Week, took place in an extraordinary venue: Palazzo Litta. Doppia Firma is a project by Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte presented by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, in collaboration with Living Corriere della Sera. The name of the project, Doppia Firma (Italian for “Double Signature”), is a clear reference to objects born out of collaborations between designers and skilled craftsmen. The exhibition featured a collection of unique and refined objects, works of art born out of the encounter between contemporary design and craftsmanship’s authenticity and cultural uniqueness.
This exchange has a dual effect: artisans can investigate new communicative methodologies, while designers can get inspiration from traditional techniques and materials.
We had the great pleasure of interviewing Alberto Cavalli, general director of the Michelangelo Foundation, who told us more about this exciting project.
When and how was Doppia Firma born and what is its mission?
“Doppia Firma. Dialogues between design thinking and high craftsmanship” was born in 2016. It is a Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte project developed with Living Corriere della Sera, presented and supported by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship. The purpose of it is to present, during the Salone del Mobile, several objects or collections born from a respectful, fertile and dynamic collaboration between designers and artisans, or ateliers, featuring plenty of manual and creative transformation of materials. The “double signature” is a direct reference to the valuable hierarchy-free contribution of both parties: the designer and the maker. Throughout the seven editions, we have facilitated and enabled a dual positive effect: designers have discovered refined craftsmanship techniques while artisans have opened up to a contemporary evolution of style.
Italian artisanal excellence is the cornerstone of the project, and our mission is paramount. Indeed, preserving these endangered categories helps keep Italy’s cultural wealth intact. What do you think can help meet this goal?
For Italian artisanal excellence to remain viable and relevant, it must be known, recognized, valued and directed toward the future respectfully and consciously. This is why Mr. Cologni has created a foundation that is also a cultural entity: real changes happen only when you change the culture, in other words, the way of perceiving, evaluating and living. Giving visibility and value to the master artisans, making them the protagonists of the contemporary
production of beauty and repositioning them at the center of a more humane and sustainable economic system means making the artistic crafts a crucial aspect not only for our production but also for our identity and culture. It is for this reason that, together with Doppia Firma, the Cologni Foundation works on transmission (yearly funding of training internships for young artisans: www. unascuolaunlavoro.it), visibility (www.well-made.it), prestige (with the title of MAM – Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere: www.maestrodartemestiere.it) and communication – our books and magazine “Mestieri d’Arte & Design” (www.mestieridarte.it).
How do you integrate the vision of a contemporary designer with traditional craft?
Respect and knowledge are the best starting point for any successful collaboration. The designer must be able to fall in love with craft techniques, understanding their value and potential. Conversely, the craftsman must allow himself to be seduced by design thinking, valuing their role as an interpreter and not as a mere executor. Great master artisans have always been very capable of understanding the culture of design and translating it into special objects. For example, Giovanni Sacchi has been one of Italy’s leading model makers and designers since World War II.
In recent years, many craft enterprises have closed because of the pandemic. What do you foresee happening to this segment in the future?
Unless we all understand and accept that master artisans are essential to Italian excellence and sense aesthetics, reversing this trend will be difficult. We are witnessing something very interesting: craftsmanship is becoming popular again. We need to work on this, enhancing beauty and quality manufacturing, which can become an alternative economic and productive model to the inhumane standardization we have witnessed for some years.
How does the public in 2023 respond to these kinds of products where design and craftsmanship are conceptually and aesthetically “married”?
The success of initiatives like Doppia Firma or “Homo Faber. Crafting a more human future” in Venice (55,000 visitors in three weeks) proves that magnificent high craftsmanship products can still seduce with their authenticity and beauty. Obviously, one must speak the language of contemporaneity while nurturing that love for territories, living tradition and precious human relationships that make all the difference. Moreover, we must design interesting exhibitions based on detailed research but also work on enhancing originality, which must be seen as a combination of “origin” and “novelty.” The continuous quest for high-quality will always be the secret to personal well-being: to love what you do and do it well.
