A Tribute to Marco Rivetti (1943 – 1996)

Twenty years after his death, the Castello di Rivoli is dedicating a day of study to the person and activities of Marco Rivetti (Biella, 1943 – Turin, 1996).
Speakers include: Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, director of the Castello di Rivoli and the GAM, Torino; Germano Celant, art historian, critic and theoretician; Michelangelo Pistoletto, artist; Giuseppe Berta, historian of business and industry at Bocconi University, Milan; Anna Martina, former head of communications GFT Group; Carlo Rivetti, businessman.

In addition, other representatives of the business world such Illy, Ceretto and Trussardi will contribute opinions on the art-industry relationship.

Experimenting with art and contemporary creativity, Rivetti invented a new form of communication. At the end of the 1970s, he developed the Gruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT), transforming the company into an international force which launched the production of prêt-à-porter. With his ability to combine creativity, enterprise and culture, Rivetti in the 1980s integrated contemporary art and culture in business communication with innovative choices. A cultured and sensitive entrepeneur, Rivetti, who was the third Chairman of the Castello di Rivoli from 1988 to 1993 supported the development of the first Italian contemporary art system around the birth of the Castello di Rivoli museum which opened in 1984.

In his inaugural speech in Rivoli, Rivetti highlighted how “the history of our company is deeply interwoven with the history of its relationship with a large field of contemporary creativity, design and fashion.”

This absolutely topical vision which prefigures aspects of today’s world, shows how Rivetti saw in the Museum a space which would combine art with all other creative languages.
Gianna Recchi, Chairman of the Fondazione Marco Rivetti, declares: “It’s with great pleasure that I welcome this day of study dedicated to my friend Marco, a visionary entrepreneur who anticipated the most current relationship between art and industry.”