Based on this belief, Bvlgari is proud to announce the creation of Fondazione Bvlgari, officially introduced at the dedicated press conference at the Ara Pacis in Rome, at the presence of Jean Christophe Babin, Bvlgari CEO, and Roberto Gualtieri Mayor of Rome and Claudio Parisi Presicce Director of the Capitoline Superintendence.
The Roman Maison has always felt the duty to create permanent value through a give back approach, a sense of care for the whole community that over time has taken shape into multi-faceted initiatives.
Collaborations with charities supporting gender equality or championing equal access to education, investments to reinforce educational infrastructures, financial contributions to the conservation of Italy’s cultural heritage and the establishment of a support system for the crafts community are just a few examples of this deep social, philanthropic and cultural commitment that has always distinguished Bvlgari’s corporate culture.
Now, with Fondazione Bvlgari, this deeply rooted vocation and extensive range of initiatives become a clear and inspired commitment to support the territories of arts, philanthropy and savoir-faire.
As the pinnacle of a mission that is part of the Maison’s identity, Fondazione Bvlgari is committed to building a meaningful tomorrow through care, generosity and long-term dedication. Firmly believing that life can be elevated by revealing the magnificent beauty of human diversity, the foundation aims to reveal, foster and treasure the limitless potential and unique beauty concealed in every field it will operate in and in everyone that will be impacted by its actions.
“For a long time now, Bvlgari has been engaged in a wide spectrum of initiatives focused on building a magnificent future starting from our heritage. We always felt it’s our duty to give back to the arts, to the cultural legacy of Rome inspiring our Maison, to the vulnerable children that need a chance to change the course of their lives through education, to the talented people that can have a positive impact on society as well as to the new generations of artisans. This deep commitment has constantly evolved over time, just as the most diverse needs dictated by global changes are never the same. Now, with Fondazione Bvlgari we have the opportunity to fully embrace this eternal metamorphosis by making an increasingly significant impact.” said Jean-Christophe Babin, Bvlgari CEO and President of Fondazione Bvlgari.
Fondazione Bvlgari will seek magnificence in diverse and ever-evolving fields of actions, enduring Bvlgari’s deeply rooted commitment to art and patronage, education, philanthropy and inclusion, and transmission of savoir-faire.
Art & Patronage
Perpetuating artistic heritage, Fondazione Bvlgari will support meaningful patronage activities, safeguarding the inestimable value of national and international landmarks for the generations of tomorrow. The foundations of this commitment have already been laid previously by Bvlgari with a long series of initiatives which started in 2006 with the financing of the restoration of the Scala d’Oro of the Doge’s Palace in Venice and of the Spanish Steps in Rome in 2014. Other key patronage projects aiming to safeguard Rome’s unrivalled artistic legacy followed: the restoration of the polychrome floor mosaics of the Caracalla Baths (2015-16); of 90 Greek and Roman statues from the Torlonia collection, currently the most important private collection of ancient art in the world, as the main sponsor of the restoration project (2017); of the archaeological site of the Area Sacra in Largo Argentina (2021); as well as the financing of the relamping of the Ara Pacis (2021). Lately, Bvlgari subscribed to another patronage for the design and realization of the museum layout, part of the public spaces of the Mausoleum of Augustus. Together with the restoration and the enhancement of Piazza Augusto Imperatore square, this project will finally give back to Rome one of its most iconic and known places in the world.
In addition to preserving historical landmarks in the wake of what Bvlgari has done to date, Fondazione Bvlgari will empower the talents of today, promoting and leading contemporary art initiatives and partnerships with cultural institutions, fostering innovative artistic experiences, offering visibility to emerging talents and facilitating creative cross-contamination and exchange. So far, this objective has been pursued by Bvlgari through several initiatives such as the establishment of the Maxxi Bvlgari Prize in 2017, a biennial recognition born in collaboration with Rome’s MAXXI Museum and dedicated to young artists who have created their work in Italy, but also the partnership with the Whitney Museum, which sees Bvlgari as the main sponsor of the next three editions of the Whitney Biennial, the foremost exhibition of contemporary American art. The same spirit has animated Bvlgari’s participation to the latest editions of Milan’s Design Week, where contemporary artists have collaborated with the Roman Maison.
Education, Philanthropy & Inclusion
Believing that the magnificent diversity of humanity is a precious resource, la Fondazione Bvlgari will address social and economic cohesion under the sign of inclusivity, sustaining equal opportunities for all. This commitment will translate into a contribute to charities fighting poverty and discrimination, and sustaining education and health care in underserved areas on a global scale, but also into the engagement for gender equality.
In keeping with Bvlgari’s support to lasting philanthropic causes fostering quality education as an indispensable premise for development, Fondazione Bvlgari will continue the path traced by the 15-year long partnership between Bvlgari and Save the Children.
And if education can save lives, talent can inspire just as many. Aurora, the award created by Bvlgari in 2016 to reward talented women in different fields, will become the official platform of Fondazione Bvlgari to magnify pioneering female voices, inspire enterprising women and create virtuous cycles of game-changing ideas and actions.
Another initiative in this field undertaken by Bvlgari and which will guide the actions of Fondazione Bvlgari in the near future is the Maison’s participation in Altagamma’s Adotta Una Scuola project, which aims to strengthen the bridge between school and industry.
Transmission of Savoir-Faire
Building another meaningful bridge between heritage and future, Fondazione Bvlgari will also give new life to traditional arts and crafts, guaranteeing they are being handed down to the next generation – because a magnificent tomorrow always grows from legacy. As in a new Renaissance, the human being will be placed at the center of educational and training projects based on inclusivity and championing a culture focused on the “art of making”. Bvlgari’s unrivalled artisanal legacy will inspire existing and new partnerships contributing to create professional opportunities for young generations in the field of craftsmanship, to recognize and give visibility to the talents of the industry and to develop training programs that enhance the professional skills of Bvlgari’s master artisans.
In the past years, Bvlgari has promoted numerous projects introducing younger generations to artisanal crafts, such as with the Bvlgari Jewelry Academy (2017), a training path where the new recruits of the Jewelry Manufacture in Valenza will learn Bvlgari’s specific crafting techniques and the Metier d’Excellence LVMH, the platform born to hand down, enhance and reveal the crafts and talents of the Group.
Furthermore, in the frame of the extension project of the Bvlgari Manifattura in Valenza, started in 2022, the Maison will establish La Scuola Bvlgari, the first Bvlgari training school for external students.
This opportunity intends to offer a dedicated path to professionalize the new generations of artisans, serving, at the same time, as a cultural reference center for the goldsmith sector, propelling the Italian goldsmith tradition into the future. A key objective that from now on will also be central to the field of action of Fondazione Bvlgari.
Fondazione Bvlgari lives and breathes the ever-evolving beauty of its birthplace, Rome. A city whose unlimited artistic, creative and savoir faire inheritance has generated an infinite territory of cultural contamination and stratification, where art inspires new forms of art and magnificence keeps growing from its endless heritage.
