Luca Vivioli Luca Vivioli Luca Vivioli Luca Vivioli

LUCA VIVIOLI THE PRIVATE RESIDENCE AND THE GALLERY

Vivioli, the antiques gallery, opened in the early 1950’s thanks to the passion and superb taste of my father, Lazzaro Vivioli. He was a man endowed with a strong personality and was able, very early on, to shape his work around the very particular features of Genoese society. He was thus a man who was both exceedingly mindful of his private life as well as being so very open towards the world at large. A decision he undertook that was emblematic of this was the way he decided to organise the life of his gallery that could only be visited upon appointment and, in addition, at only very precise times; for example, from 7pm until 9pm. The rooms of the gallery were therefore soon transformed into a sort of “last supper” for passionate collectors, art historians and colleagues. He was interested in particular in Italian and French furnishings from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, with an obvious preference for the higher end of Genoese works of art. With that rare discretion possessed only by a true man for all seasons he was able to gain access to those private collections that, over the years, gave him the utmost satisfaction both from an artistic as well as a human point of view. I had just graduated in 1987 and my father proved his innate far-sightedness by enthusiastically supporting my move to London where I attended the famous course of Fine and Decorative Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In truth, my London experience went on for a full five years during which I learnt much as well as having the opportunity to frequent the auction world by following courses on Oriental Art at Sotheby’s Education in collaboration with the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas). Even more important, however, were the days spent with my father who visited me in London on a monthly basis so he could further enhance and share in my education. We spent hours in those great public auctions, visiting museums and dealers and often unexpectedly – and excitedly – popping over to Paris. I remember especially the walks at night, after dinner, admiring and commenting on the shop-windows of the most famous dealers. Finally, in 1992, in conjunction with the opening of the new gallery in the recently-restored Palazzo Ducale, I began working full time in the running of the family business. Only three years later, in 1995, I lost the precious guidance of my father. It was at that moment that I decided to focus my attention on the great European antique fairs such as the Biennales in Florence and Paris, both exceptional opportunities for communicating the international character of the gallery with objects that were often ahead of time compared to trends in taste, such as antique marble work, commesso gemstones and Wunderkammer bronzes. By dispersing a part of my private and gallery collection I will enjoy further opportunities to travel, learn and possess new works of art, filled once again with the pure emotion that comes with such acquisitions. Indeed, I will, once more, be enjoying objects that are imbued with timeless beauty.