FIFTIES IN ROME: Celebrating 1950s Haute Couture at Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi

The exhibition 'FIFTIES IN ROME. La couture anni ’50 (RMX)' at Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi, open until January 14, 2024, explores the golden age of Roman haute couture in the 1950s. Curated by collector Stefano Dominella, who owns most of the pieces, the show highlights the fusion of Italian fashion with Hollywood cinema, spurred by the Marshall Plan and Cinecittà studios. Key couturiers include Carosa, Fernanda Gattinoni, Tiziani, Schubert, Antonelli, and Fabiani. Notable garments include a green taffeta dress by Alberto Fabiani worn by Marella Agnelli (1953), a white silk crepe gown by Gattinoni worn by Lana Turner (1957), and a costume by Gattinoni for Audrey Hepburn in 'War and Peace' (1956). Also featured is a black-and-white embroidered dress by Gattinoni for Anna Magnani for 'Bellissima' (1952). The exhibition is organized with Accademia del Lusso di Roma. However, the review criticizes inadequate lighting, lack of introductory panels, and insufficient biographical notes. The venue, a 1901 villa designed by Giovanni Battista Giovenale for Prince Luigi Boncompagni Ludovisi, donated by Princess Blanceflor de Bildt Boncompagni in 1972, houses decorative arts from Liberty to Art Déco. The show aims to reassert Rome's cultural fashion heritage, though the reviewer notes that public administration should better support the museum.