Credits: Article and images by Martin Green @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/08/11/monterey-i-ii-the-almost-forgotten-first-watches-of-louis-vuitton/
People often assume that I started writing about watches because I like them so much and that I find writing easy.
Both of these assumptions are true, but they are not the complete reason; in fact, they are likely to be less than half the reason. That other half is likewise made up of two parts: it is the stories behind the watches and the people who create them that intrigue me.
This is one of those stories in which all of these elements come together in what seems to be an unlikely combination of people and brands leading to an extraordinary, but unfortunately almost forgotten, pair of watches.
Gae Aulenti: a grandissima lady of architecture
The story starts with Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), who was born in the town of Palazzolo dello Stella, near Trieste, Italy. At that time, nothing indicated that she would become one of Italy’s leading ladies of architecture and design.
While her parents wanted her to become a housewife, she rebelled and went to the Polytechnic University of Milan to study architecture, showing a spirited determination that would become her signature as well as define her career. She graduated in 1954, one of just two women from a class of 20.
Aulenti was always a woman with an opinion and despite opposition and criticism, she was never afraid to share it. After graduating, she joined the Neoliberty movement, eventually spearheading the 1950s Italian architectural movement that rejected Bauhaus and modernist principles, focusing more on rational, organic architecture and continuing the development of cities with buildings that were closely connected to their identities.
She was also averse to following fashion, proclaiming that when it dictated her to wear red, she felt the need to dress in green.
This drew attention, from, among others, Gianni Agnelli, patriarch of the Fiat empire. He became a lifelong friend and utilized her significant talent to develop car showrooms all over Europe, as well as design his ski lodge in St. Moritz and take charge of the renovation of Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
It does not do Aulenti’s career justice to summarize it, but given her extensive work, both as a designer and as an architect, it is almost impossible not to. Alongside her work for Agnelli, she designed showrooms for Olivetti, sets for La Scala, Milan’s famed opera house, furniture for design brands including Kartell, Knoll, and Zanotta, and lamps for Stilnovo and Artemide.
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Credits: Article and images by Martin Green @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/08/11/monterey-i-ii-the-almost-forgotten-first-watches-of-louis-vuitton/