Part of:

• Fonds: Gianni Pettena fonds, 1960-2019
•    Series: Exhibitions, circa 1980--2019
•      Sub-series: Il Ritorno Dei Re (1980), circa 1980

People:

• Gianni Pettena (archive creator)
• Gianni Pettena (designer)

Title:

Il Ritorno Dei Re (1980)

Date:

circa 1980

Level of archival description:
Subseries

Extent and medium:

• 0.01 l.m. of textual records

Scope and content:
The sub-series documents the exhibition "Il Ritorno Dei Re" designed by Pettena and presented at the Refettorio di Santa Maria Novella, in Florence in 1980. The exhibition presented the heads of the Carolingian kings statues, originally part of the facade of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, that were removed after the French Revolution and later replaced by new sculptures by Viollet-le-Duc. The statues heads, rediscovered during excavation work in Paris, then toured museums in Europe and in the United States, including in Florence. Pettena's design managed "to evoke, through a cunning use of light, the “presence” of the kings, as the heads stood out as the only illuminated elements in a setting that, precisely because of its imposing character, was kept in semidarkness." [1]

The sub-series contains Pettena's draft exhibition proposal, with plans, concept development notes, research and a section of the Refettorio di Santa Maria Novella showing the exhibition space.

Source:
[1] Gianni Pettena website, https://www.giannipettena.it/english/exhibitions/settings/ (last accessed 29 January 2020).

Reference number:

AP207.S2.SS01

Arrangement:
Material in this sub-series was kept in its original order when it was first processed upon its arrival at CCA.

Location:

Florence Italy

Contains:

• AP207.S2.SS01.001, Exhibition design proposal, Il Ritorno Dei Re, circa 1980