THE ART OF GLAMOUR
Meet the woman converting Romans to the kooky charms of avant-garde jewellery
Text: Emily Stefania Coscione
Rita Marcangelo promotes the best in new jewellery, using tyre rubber and crushed turquoise alongside traditional silver and gold
Jewellery is not just adornment, it can also be art — edgy and exciting. Rita Marcangelo has dedicated her career to promoting just such designs. As director of the Alternatives gallery in Rome and president of the Associazione Gioiello Contemporaneo (Contemporary Jewellery Association), she hosts exhibitions for some of most imaginative designers working today. This is something of a mission in a country where innovative jewellery is often unappreciated. She also shows to an international audience at Collect, the prestigious annual contemporary art and design fair at London’s V&A Museum.
Where did you get the idea to open a contemporary jewellery gallery in Rome?
Alternatives was set up in 1997 to meet a specific need. I was born and brought up in London, and I absorbed northern European jewellery culture there. When I moved to Rome, I noticed a more traditional approach, and I wanted to create a space to present new trends here.
Contemporary jewellery is not very popular in Italy. How is the market different from the rest of Europe?
There is a clear difference in the level of appreciation of both the general public and institutions. Our jewellery is unique and, when we started work here, the market was quite resistant to it. We have more work to do in Italy because the country is less prepared. For example, there are no dedicated sections for contemporary jewellery in our museums as there are in other countries. Compared to the rest of Europe, institutions are also less interested and less willing to invest in new projects. But it has to be said that in recent years the Italian public has been changing. They’re more ready for this work.
Who are your star jewellery designers?
We work with a lot of specialised artists, maybe more from abroad than Italian ones. These include rising stars along with established artists like Peter Skubic and Ruudt Peters. Some of our artists belong to the Padua School, for example, which has been a milestone in Italian jewellery and has contributed to getting our work known abroad.
What sort of problems do you encounter in selling the public such unusual jewellery?
One of Skubic’s pieces comes to mind, a steel pin that I sold recently. The customer was a Chinese collector who wanted to get into this kind of jewellery, but was new to it and needed some guidance to work out what to buy. The customer was looking at two artists and wanted to buy based on the future value of the work. But wearability comes into play as well and this can be the determining factor in the choice. Although a piece of jewellery is a sculpture, it also has a relationship with the body and must be wearable.
Gold and oxidised-silver
broochWhat does your work involve?
I look after relations with the artists and select works for exhibitions. My husband, who is a goldsmith, is involved in the IT side of our work.
What will your next exhibition be?
Adrean Bloomard’s personal retrospective, Amphora, will take place from 8 May to 7 June. This will be followed by our summer group exhibition presenting works by Maria Rosa Franzin, Alessia Semeraro, Giovanni Sicuro and Barbara Uderzo from 14 June to 11 July.
Who buys this type of jewellery?
We have all sorts of customers, from professionals looking for something different to collectors who are following the current trends. The collaboration with the V&A has opened up a whole series of possibilities to us, by getting us known in countries like the United States and the Netherlands where this market is bigger.
Pendant and rings made from silver, plastic and paint
Your own designs suggest that you enjoy experimentation to achieve surprising results. But what sort of jewellery do you like wearing?
I think it’s important for a gallery owner to show that anything can be worn. This means that I try to wear jewellery that is a bit more daring than the usual pieces. I like the most flamboyant pieces, especially pins and necklaces. I don’t even notice if the jewellery is uncomfortable any more.