The exhibition “La Grande Bellezza” is set up within the Italian Design Day Manifestation in Croatia, and represents an exciting journey through the landscapes, history and architecture of Italy, telling the story of Italian car design as a synonym of unique culture and style.

Innovative and ingenious products are generated from the Italian style: Olivetti typewriters, the Vespa, Cisitalia 202, the Fiat 500. In the automotive field, Italian stylists radically change the concept of beauty: cars begin to be perceived as beautiful in virtue of the evident tension towards a formal balance that encompasses technology, innovation and aerodynamics, as well as for the richness or sumptuousness of the lines. It is in this context that famous brands such as Pininfarina, Giugiaro, Bertone, Touring, Zagato and many others develop.

JOLANDA TODOROVIĆ, SANDRA KRPAN, DAVIDE BRADANINI, ILEANA JANČIĆ AND ERNIE GIGANTE DEŠKOVIĆ

This exhibition accompanies visitors through an evocative path built with the suggestive images of the photographer Giorgio Bellia, taken from the archive of the MAUTO Documentation Centre, and three splendid cars from the Mauto collection, presented for the first time in Croatia: the legendary 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, a magnificent example of the 1954 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint model; a breath-taking 1980 Ferrari 308 GTB. Three cars that, over the span of forty years, express the elegance, timeless beauty, uniqueness of the style of three of the greatest Italian coachbuilders: Touring, Bertone and Pininfarina.

“It is a great honour for us to host such an interesting exhibition. The Italian people have indebted the world with great innovations in the field of style, aesthetics and design, and also with their lifestyle” said deputy mayor Krpan, emphasising excellent collaboration with the Consul General of Italy and the Italian Embassy in Croatia in organising exceptional cultural events.

“The project is aimed at intensifying economic and cultural relations between Italy and Croatia. We present part of Italian industrial history and the unmistakable automotive style of Italian design, known and loved all over the world, “said the Consul General of Italy in Rijeka Davide Bradanini.

The 1954 Giulietta Sprint and the 1980 Ferrari 308 GTB will be presented to the Rijeka audience at the Kortil Gallery, in addition to a rich overview of original drawings, photographs, life-size models, multimedia content, until May 3, while at the Gervais Centre in Opatija until April 26, visitors will be able to learn more about the MAUTO museum and see the 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.

The exhibition also offers interesting multimedia contents, including interactive interviews with the most important Italian automotive designers and in-depth films.

All MAUTO vehicles – Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile di Torino (Turin National Automobile Museum, MAUTO)

The exhibition is a result of cooperation between the Embassy of Italy in Zagreb, the Consulate General of Italy in Rijeka and the MAUTO – National Automobile Museum with the aim of promoting Italian culture in Croatia and consolidating links with Italy. The City of Rijeka, the City of Opatija, the Kortil Gallery, the Croatian Cultural Centre Sušak, the Festival Opatija, the Italian Union and the EDIT publishing house have also contributed to the realisation of the exhibition.

All the vehicles come from the collection of the National Automobile Museum – MAUTO which is among the oldest of its kind, and its display tells the story of the automobile, its transformation from a means of transport to an object of worship, from its origins to contemporary evolution of creative thinking: through the evolution of the car, the epochal passages of society are analysed.

After Rijeka and Opatija, the exhibition will move to Zagreb, where on 12 May it will be inaugurated at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum.