The highlight of Ermenegildo Zegna’s flagship boutique in London at New Bond Street is a specially-commissioned tapestry piece by South African artist William Kentridge.
William Kentridge, the internationally acclaimed South African artist, marks a new edition of Art in Global Stores, a ZegnArt initiative aimed at giving art a vital role as an indispensable instrument for research and development. ZegnArt is a platform that brings together in one coherent project plan the Group’s activities concerning contemporary arts, and is created in collaboration with artists, curators and cultural institutions.
For this edition, William Kentridge was invited to create a special work of art to enrich the new London Global Store in New Bond Street, designed by the renowned architect Peter Marino.
The work produced by Kentridge is the tapestry Dare / Avere (2016) within which the artist draws his own interpretation of the history and values of Ermenegildo Zegna. Woven in Zegna Mohair Trophy by The Stephens Tapestry Studio, this wall-mounted tapestry is the artist’s interpretation of the history and values of Ermenegildo Zegna; a snapshot of the company’s centennial progress, captured by sewing together arts, traditions, places, experiences and gestures.
The title Dare / Avere (2016), literally “give / take”, embodies not only the give and take that rule market laws but also Zegna’s longstanding philosophy of giving back to the community that has driven the founder to embark in social and environmental initiatives linked to the territory of Trivero and beyond.
