From the Baroque to the Sicily of The Leopard, in Rome 'From the Heart to the Hands' emotions branded D&G'

"Just one word. Pure, absolute emotion. Working alongside Dolce & Gabbana was a great opportunity and a great joy for me. D&G are perhaps the only ones, in the haute couture world, who are not only the founders of their own maison, but also the owners, the creators. A rarity in the fashion universe". Florence Muller, curator of the exhibition 'From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce & Gabbana', which debuts tomorrow at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome (open to the public until August 13), speaks to Adnkronos and announces what D&G define for their exhibition as "a real world tour, after Paris and Milan, now Rome with the installation of 4 new rooms and a dress (with the painted Colosseum) dedicated to the Capital".

Not a simple re-staging of 'From the Heart to the Hands' (the imposing scenography is by Agence Galuchat), but a narrative rethought for the Capitoline space, where the creations of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana enter into dialogue with the neoclassical architectural structure designed by Pio Piacentini and inaugurated in 1883, a unique scenography for a journey not only through fashion, but through time, art, memory and matter. The exhibition, promoted by the Department of Culture of Rome Capital and the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, brings together over two hundred unique creations by Dolce&Gabbana, dresses mostly belonging to private collections alongside unique pieces 'stolen' from the ateliers of the great stylists (an imposing Murano chandelier, a Madonna with child that belonged to Domenico Dolce's father, also a tailor).

"For the Roman exhibition - says curator Florence Muller, one of the leading experts in the sector - we have set up 3 new rooms dedicated to 'Sardinian Art', a tribute to the immense artisanal heritage of the island with fabrics and clothes that recall some particular techniques of the traditional goldsmith art, filigree workmanship. Then there is the 'Sartorial Anatomy' room - she continues - It tells the story of corsetry and the study of the shapes of the human body as an essential element of the cultural history of clothing, a research that harks back to the study of the physique, especially male, exaltation of Renaissance-style virility". One room of the exhibition is dedicated to 'Cinema', branded D&G, with a documentary 'Devotion' directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

The exhibition retraces the creative and spectacular existence of D&G through 'emotional' stages and hundreds of dresses, their passions alongside some quotes from their most acclaimed fashion shows, the 'dedications' to Opera, Architecture, Painting, Venice and the Mastery of Glass, the Baroque and Devotion, but above all to Sicily which returns forcefully in this lush installation, the Sicily of the Gattopardi, of icons and votive shrines, of hand-painted carts, of tables set with cannoli and ricotta cassata, of the sumptuous and precious dress that reproduces the terracotta floor of Palazzo Gangi in Palermo where the famous ball scene from Visconti's 'Gattopardo' was filmed. And then there is the dazzling white reproduction of the Oratory of San Domenico in Palermo next to the dress donated to the Church of Polizzi Generosa, the city where Domenico Dolce was born, which parades every year during the procession.

And speaking of Madonnas, the dress depicting the 'Madonnina' of the Milan Cathedral is also on display at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in memory of the 'plea' that Domenico Dolce had addressed to her upon arriving in the Lombard capital. 'Please Madonnina, don't make me return to Sicily, defeated, defeated', he said several times. Vow answered. "Immerse yourself in the world of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, where magic and fantasy, legend and reality coexist together - urges Florence Muller - D&G are two passionate personalities, of extraordinary generosity, they know how to give themselves to others by giving their all, always in search of beauty that they can also transmit to the new generations, today thanks to the creation of an Academy for young artisans. The new generations, not only in Italy, are tired of technology - explains Muller - Today more than ever there is the desire to find, even in one's work, a soul, an art linked to the human".

"We are excited and proud because it was not easy to bring such an important exhibition to Rome. Thanks to Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce for their trust - says Alessandro Onorato, Councilor for Major Events, Sports, Tourism and Fashion of Rome Capital - The numbers of the exhibition, which was initially intended for New York and will be here until August 13, are impressive and there will be many new features compared to the exhibition in Milan and Paris - he adds - It is confirmation of how Rome has returned to being a sought-after and attractive city. The exhibition is a great appetizer for the eagerly awaited week of Dolce&Gabbana Haute Couture fashion shows in July. It will be an unprecedented global event for the city and for the fashion industry".