Over the years, Italian artist
Francesco Vezzoli has used a phalanx of
A-listers in various films and performances (Cate Blanchett, Natalie
Portman and Michelle Williams, among them) as commentary on
today’s celeb-obsessed culture. But for his limited editions for
Yoox on sale today, he’s made himself into a ’50s movie star
postcard, replete with the artist’s signature glittery embroidery.
“It would have been out of place to use someone else’s face
to raise money,” he said of the edition of 399, the sale of which
goes to benefit FAI, a nonprofit dedicated to restoration and
conservation of historic Italian buildings.
“Con Amore, Francesco Vezzoli (Francesco by Francesco)” is
on sale today at Yoox.com for $399.
Earlier this year, earthquakes devastated the Emilia-Romagna region.
Vezzoli vacationed in the area when he was young, and he felt compelled
to help rebuild the damage. “I am very attached to this
place,” he said. Usually, his needlework pieces are sewn
painstakingly by hand, but for the artist’s first series of
multiples (they sell for $399 each) he understandably ceded the
handiwork to a sewing machine. “Anyway,” he explained,
“my hands are tired of doing needlework.”
