Curator explains concept behind gold-themed exhibition

Anne Camilli

Anne Camilli, curator of “A Golden Way of Life – Trés’Ors” exhibition, met with journalists last week to discuss the newly-opened exhibition, which will be hosted at the MGM Art Space from now until September 3.

Camilli explained the concept behind the gold-themed exhibition. “Where does gold come from, what is its value, both wealthily and spiritually, as well as artistically speaking?” asked Camilli, adding that the exhibition shows “what you do with gold in French art”.

The curator revealed that she selected a great variety of artifacts and art pieces to show the Chinese public how fascination over gold led artists and craftsmen in France to create fantastic pieces, “which are brought together for the first time here in Macau, and in Asia.”

When asked about the reason she chose gold as the theme of the exhibition, Camilli told the media that gold is frequently used in arts and crafts because of its extraordinary properties and its ability to last forever.

“Gold has fascinated men since men discovered it for the first time,” said Camilli, adding that humans have been using gold since its discovery “even in small quantities”.

“The ever-lasting nature of gold makes human beings immediately connect with their religion, whatever that might be,” said Camilli. According to the curator, the meaning of gold is not only wealth, but also the understanding of its spiritual symbolism.

The curator revealed that it was difficult for her team to lend all of these great pieces to MGM because her team spent a long time organizing them for the entire collection.

Packing and shipping the art pieces had to be done extremely carefully so as to take them to Macau without any complications.

Overall, Camilli considered it a fantastic experience to do the exhibition with MGM. “It’s great when different cultures meet, when east meets west,” said Camilli before talking about her favorite piece in the collection.

Bruno Toupry, who is an expert gilder, conducted a gold gilding workshop for the media at the MGM Art Space.

Bruno started gilding at age 17, having since created works for the Louvre and other museums and institutions. During the workshop, the gilder illustrated the most basic gilding skills.

As part of the Le French May silver jubilee celebrations, “A Golden way of Life –Très’Ors” invites the public to embark on an exploration of a collection of over 250 exquisite pieces of gold creations and artifacts comprising classic and contemporary art works, religious artifacts, vintage furniture pieces, fashion and accessories, watches and jewelry, and everyday life objects from the 17th century to modern day items in gold. JZ