Bulgari celebrates the 125th Anniversary of its founding with the first retrospective in the brand's history, at the prestigious Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome until September 13, 2009.

The exhibition, entitled “Between History and Eternity: 1884-2009”, revisits the most significant chapters in the history of the company and the evolution of Bulgari design, from the opening of the first shop on Via Sistina in 1884 to our present day. This compelling tale is recounted by over five hundred masterpieces of jewelry, watchmaking and objets d'art, some of them selected from the Bulgari Vintage Collection, an extraordinary historic treasury conserved in the company archives, and others from private collections that have therefore never been exhibited in public.



In addition to jewelry and timepieces, the retrospective also offers a collection of documents that have never been seen till now, including sketches and drawings from different epochs and photographs of the famous artists, aristocrats and celebrities who have appreciated the beauty of Bulgari jewelry since the very beginning. There is an entire section dedicated to the years of the “dolce vita”, with portraits and quotes from the divas of that bygone epoch, preparatory drawings for jewels worn on screen by the most famous actresses of the time, and other material that illustrates the close ties between Bulgari and the film industry that began in the 1940s and have blossomed ever since.


But the real stars of this section are the jewels themselves, spectacular creations worn by the likes of Anna Magnani and Gina Lollobrigida, here on display for the first time ever. Another entire room is reserved for the fabulous personal collection of Elizabeth Taylor, offering a unique opportunity to admire some of Bulgari's most extraordinary creations. Sixteen one-of-a-kind pieces of enormous value, each with its own story to tell. Especially noteworthy is the diamond brooch with a central emerald of more than 18 carats that was given to Taylor by Richard Burton for their engagement in 1962.

More information on www.bulgari.com

Source: Bulgari