The ‘New Curiosity Shop‘ is the concept store opened by Bulgari in December in Via Condotti in Rome, right next to the historic store opened in 1905 by Sotirio Bulgari with the name of ‘Old Curiosity Shop’ in a nod to the novel by Charles Dickens. Both have been opened to celebrate the art of wonder that has always inspired the maison’s imagination, and one is the futuristic version of the other targeting in this way the young generations.
The concept refers to the Renaissance cabinet of curiosities, and mixes the jewels and accessories on sale with bizarre, extravagant objects and pieces of design that, like in an art gallery, are regularly renewed. Rarities, pieces of art, exotic and scientific finds, collected in time from many different cultures and places around the world, have always been a source of inspiration, creativity and innovation. In the juxtaposition Bulgari’s collections gain a new-found, almost futuristic, character. Bulgari writes: “Opposites generate harmony: tradition merges with contemporaneity and the future, the boldness of color contrasts with the pureness of white, apparently opposite spaces prove to be two faces of the same coin.”
The official inauguration of the New Curiosity Shop, which took place on January 31 at the presence of CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and the Bulgari family, was accompanied by a series of social events, including the presentation of the book ‘I tesori di Roma: viaggio nello storico patrimonio di Bulgari‘ (The treasures of Rome: a journey through Bulgari’s historic legacy) by Vincent Meyland.
Ilona Catani Scarlett