Q&A

Miuccia Prada on Collecting Art, Brazilian Design, and the Merits of Installing a Slide in Your Office

In an exclusive interview, the legendary designer opened up about her interest in art and collecting.


Rita Ora, Miuccia Prada, Carsten Holler.jpg
Courtesy

In the past few years, the worlds of art and fashion have become more entangled than ever. Pushed along by a mutual interest in design, craftsmanship and luxury, artists and designers are pursuing relationships that run the spectrum from the creative to the commercial, with plenty of overlaps along the way. Nowhere is this phenomenon on more vivid display than at Art Basel Miami Beach, the sprawling art fair that has become the elite’s de facto getaway every December. Here, the main fair at the convention center has given way to satellite fairs, guerrilla exhibits, political statements, stunts, pop-ups, parties, concerts, and all manner of lavish spectacles, and, in many instances, fashion labels are leading the charge.

For some brands, collaborations with artists are a way to add a layer of gravitas to otherwise commercial projects. Some designers find inspiration and new ways of thinking in the works of fine artists, while others are collectors themselves who have used the financial might of their backers to support the practice of artists and craftsmen. But few modern designers have been in as sustained a dialogue with art as Miuccia Prada. Her involvement goes beyond mining artistic references for the purposes of fashion design, a commitment underlined by the Fondazione Prada, the organization she and her husband Patrizio Bertelli, the label’s chief executive, founded over 20 years ago to support and house the collection they were beginning to cultivate. In other words, she’s put her money where her mouth is.

“It’s difficult to summarize a life interest in a few words, but, of course, art has been part of the search and truth in my life,” she said in Miami recently.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2017: Wild Nights, Bold Style, and More of the Week’s Best Party Pictures

Rita Ora at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Prada Double Club Miami opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Presley Gerber at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Jean Campbell at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Partygoers at the COS x Studio Swine installation during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Partygoers at the COS x Studio Swine installation during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Partygoers at the COS x Studio Swine installation during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Partygoers at the COS x Studio Swine installation during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Partygoers at the COS x Studio Swine installation during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Speak Up dinner hosted by the ACLU at the Standard Hotel, Miami Beach during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Speak Up dinner hosted by the ACLU at the Standard Hotel, Miami Beach during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Speak Up dinner hosted by the ACLU at the Standard Hotel, Miami Beach during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Speak Up dinner hosted by the ACLU at the Standard Hotel, Miami Beach during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Speak Up dinner hosted by the ACLU at the Standard Hotel, Miami Beach during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Artsy x Gucci party at The Bath Club during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Artsy x Gucci party at The Bath Club during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Artsy x Gucci party at The Bath Club during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Artsy x Gucci party at The Bath Club during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Guests at the Artsy x Gucci party at The Bath Club during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

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Though her appearance in town coincided with Basel, Prada, like many serious collectors, would be bypassing the fair to focus on more pressing matters, like unveiling the new design of her Design District flagship, and kicking off the Double Club, the Carsten Höller pop-up nightclub that arguably became the social attraction of the week. Hers was one of the appearances that ensured that this Art Basel was dominated by strong women, including Katie Stout’s “Narcissus” exhibit at the Nina Johnson gallery; Tara Subkoff’s performance with the Hole gallery at the Edition; Cardi B.’s concert for Moschino at the Eden Roc; and Fair., the all-woman exhibit at Brickell City Center that aimed to highlight gender inequity in the art world, not to mention a lot of Instagram-friendly art, like Suzy Kellems Dominik‘s 12-foot tall installation, “I Can Feel.”

For Prada, design is gospel, an appreciation that was in sharp relief at the store thanks to the incorporation of Art Deco motifs and Latin American culture into its decor—for instance, famed mid-century Brazilian furniture designers like Joaquim Tenreiro and Carlo Hauner created unique pieces that stood out amid the marble checkered Art Deco floor covering the store, a reference to Prada’s own home. “I was interested in making something that makes sense in the area where you are,” she continued. “This is something related to this culture, it gives value, and is in discussion with the local audience.”

Presley Gerber at Prada’s Design District store opening during Art Basel in Miami Beach. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Not too far away, Prada had also erected the Double Club, her second collaboration with the German Höller to build a working nightclub—London was the first in 2008—that would exist for only a few nights. This one, at a vast former ice factory, fused Italian disco and Cuban pizzazz and featured performances by Wyclef Jean, Princess Nokia, and the Black Madonna while drawing everyone who happened to be in Miami, from Rita Ora and Diplo to Presley Gerber, Ricky Martin and Wendi Murdoch.

Inside Prada’s Design District flagship in Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach. Courtesy.

“He creates things that make you smile and forget everything for a second,” she said of Höller, whom she met in Berlin in 1999 and promptly commissioned to install one of his famous slides at her headquarters, which, by the way, she actually uses. “I’m always open when someone proposes something strange or impossible, so when he mentioned [the Double Club idea] to me, I said, ‘Let’s do it,” she recalled, adding that she was drawn to the fact that they could replicate the concept in different locations, from London to Miami to even its Rong Zhai mansion in China. “The first Double Club felt connected to life, and that was really revolutionary.”

Prada, who began studying political science in Milan, said her cultural education came from literature and film, and that it was later in life that she developed an interest in fine art through friends who encouraged her to use empty industrial spaces she and her company owned for exhibitions. “We started to study, to meet artists, and it was a full immersion,” she said, referring to herself and Bertelli. “Then I realized that all the arts are the same, whether it’s a movie or literature, the mind of the people is the same. Only the expression is different.”

At Art Basel Miami, Art Enthusiasts and Party Crashers Alike Break Out Their Boldest Prints And Flashiest Colors

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Patrick Parrish gallery director Zoe Fisher with work by Chris Wolston at the Design Miami fair during Art Basel Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, December 5th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

Street style around Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida on Wednesday, December 6th. Photo by Simbarashe Cha for W Magazine.

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Two years ago, they opened their collection, which includes everything from modern masters like Damien Hirst and Robert Gober to priceless Italian renaissance works, to the public in a lauded complex in Milan designed by Rem Koolhaas. Although the Fondazione is distinct from the label, and does not serve any retail purpose, it’s useful for Prada as a sort of petri dish, a haven for ideas.

“My interest is in thoughts—trying to understand the future, trying to understand the present—and art has become one instrument, but not the only one, for my knowledge,” she said.

Though Prada prefers to keep her passion for art independent from her fashion design, Miami was a rare occurrence where both worlds were in perfect harmony. “Everyone’s mixing everything today, but, just to be different, I want to keep things separate. It’s my punk attitude that I have to do the opposite of what I did or what everyone else is doing,” she said, laughing. “Of course, in my mind, my art and my job are always fused.”

Lil Wayne, Paris Hilton, And Some Young Royals Touch Down At Art Basel Miami As the Party Scene Rages On

Drake celebrates Miami Art Week at the American Express Platinum House at The Miami Beach EDITION on December 7, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for American Express Platinum)

Frazer Harrison

Paris Hilton, Chris Zylka attend Galerie Gmurzynska Dinner in Honor of Jean Pigozz at Penthouse at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach, Miami Beach. Photo courtesy of PMC.

Patrick McMullan

Jeremy Scott and Cardi B attend the launch of the Moschino Gold Fresh Fragrance in Miami. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Samantha Deitch/BFA.com

Rita Ora attends attends the Prada Design District store opening at Prada Design District on December 5, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Getty Images for Prada).

Griffin Lipson/BFA.com

Anna Marie Reilly, guest, Caroline Vreeland, a guest, and Tiffany Lighty attend Prada Double Club Miami, A Carsten Holler Project at Ice Palace Film Studios on December 6. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Prada)

Alexander Tamargo

Kris Van Assche and Ricky Martin attend Dior Homme, Laffanour Galerie Downtown and The Webster host a private dinner to celebrate the launch of Black Carpet & Art Basel. Photo courtesy of BFA.

David X Prutting/BFA.com

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attend Perrier Jouet’s Eden Ball. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Hagop Kalaidjian/BFA.com

Scott Disick and Sofia Richie attend DuJour’s Jason Binn And WellNEST Celebrate Miami Beach’s Art Basel Kick-Off at The Confidante on December 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Dujour)

Andrew Toth

Rosario Dawson at the Surf Lodge pop-up at the W South Beach for a dinner hosted by Kith’s Ronnie Fieg, Jayma Cardoso and Daniel Arsham.

Madison McGaw/BFA.com

Jordan Barrett and Presley Gerber attend Chrome Hearts & Baccarat celebrate The Miami Design District with Jesse Jo Stark, Mary Anne Huntsman & The Miami Symphony Orchestra at Miami Design District Palm Court on December 5. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Chrome Hearts)

Dimitrios Kambouris

Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne attend the Public School x SAKS Fifth Avenue. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

Michael B. Jordan celebrates Miami Art Week at the American Express Platinum House at The Miami Beach EDITION on December 7, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for American Express Platinum)

Jason Kempin

Carmen Carrera attends The Standard and Visionaire celebrate Steven Klein and 67 Fetish. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Carl Timpone/BFA.com

Eva Longoria attends the 8th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Finale Party. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Sansho Scott/BFA.com

Issa Rae attends the 8th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Finale Party. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Sansho Scott/BFA.com

Slick Woods attends the launch of the Moschino Gold Fresh Fragrance in Miami. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Samantha Deitch/BFA.com

Joan Smalls attends the launch of the Moschino Gold Fresh Fragrance in Miami. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Samantha Deitch/BFA.com

Ellie Goulding attends Perrier Jouet’s Eden Ball. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Hagop Kalaidjian/BFA.com

Erin Foster, Karolina Kurkova, and Sara Foster attended a party for goop, Craig Robins and Bumble, featuring Grey Goose cocktails inspired by both goop and Bumble, to celebrate the opening of goop GIFT Miami. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

Sita Abellan attends The Standard and ACLU celebrate SPEAK UP during Art Basel Miami 2017. Photo courtesy of The Standard.

Angela Pham/BFA.com

Swizz Beatz attends the Saks Fifth Avenue and Bally cocktail party to celebrate “The Bally Collective Curated by Swizz Beatz”. Photo courtesy of World Red Eye for Saks Fifth Avenue.

Laure Hériard Dubreuil and Sander Lak attend Sies Marjan, The Webster, and RxArt celebrate Walter Robinson. Photo courtesy of BFA.

Hagop Kalaidjian/BFA.com

Devonte Hynes attends the Gucci x Artsy dinner at Faena Hotel on December 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Jared Siskin

Chloe Wise attends the Gucci x Artsy dinner at Faena Hotel on December 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Jared Siskin

Diplo attends the Gucci x Artsy dinner at Faena Hotel on December 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Jared Siskin

Nicolas Ghesquiere attends Prada Double Club Miami, A Carsten Holler Project at Ice Palace Film Studios on December 6, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Prada)

Alexander Tamargo

Jillian Hervey and Lucas Goodman of Lion Babe at the Surf Lodge pop-up at the W South Beach for a dinner hosted by Kith’s Ronnie Fieg, Jayma Cardoso and Daniel Arsham.

Madison McGaw/BFA.com

Virgil Abloh on Friday DJ’ing a party for Marriott’s Storybooked, a short-form documentary series from the hotel group, at the W South Beach.

Hagop Kalaidjian/BFA.com

Mia Moretti and Woodkid attend Prada Double Club Miami, A Carsten Holler Project at Ice Palace Film Studios on December 6, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Prada)

Alexander Tamargo

Colby Mugrabi attends the Prada Design District store opening at Prada Design District on December 5. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Getty Images for Prada)

Jared Siskin
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