FLOS Lights the Exhibition “Dentro Caravaggio”
Dentro Caravaggio Milan, Palazzo Reale
September 29, 2017 ā January 28, 2018
www.caravaggiomilano.it
FLOS is pleased to announce its technical sponsorship of the exhibition Dentro Caravaggio, on show at Palazzo Reale in Milan from September 29, 2017 to January 28, 2018.
Twenty masterpieces by Caravaggio, on loan from leading Italian museums and top foreign galleries, have been assembled and are on show together for the first time, accompanied by some remarkable supporting material, including x-rays and valuable historical documents that reveal the creative process of the great Lombard artist. Lighting an exhibition of this calibre is an extremely delicate process and requires a great sense of responsibility. Barbara Balestreri Lighting Design, who was entrusted to work at this project, chose to work with FLOS to define the best lighting systems and fixtures for the purpose, ensuring maximum respect for the works of art and top performance.
The choice fell on high efficiency and reliability spotlights with a discrete, minimal design from the Flos Architectural collection, including the UT Spot, a LED projector mounted on three-phase tracks. It was agreed with the lighting designer to fit the spotlight with a special LED light source that enhances the colour reproduction of the works without changing their spectrum, making the visual result equivalent to the effect traditionally achieved using halogen lighting. Specifically, the LED unit used provides better enhancement for shades of red than can be obtained from halogen sources, avoiding the warm effect caused by emissions in the infrared spectrum.
Special custom versions of lenses, anti-glare filters and other front accessories have also been produced by Light Contract (the contract division in Flos Group), not only to provide maximum protection for these precious and easily damaged materials, but also for better optical control and light profiling, as well as to reduce any glare for visitors to a minimum. All the lighting units are fitted with dimmers so that the right amount of light can be regulated for each work, in such a way as to bring out the artistās highly personal way of using light and shadow, while respecting the naturalism of the subjects and colours.
Architect Barbara Balestreri commented: āLighting the works of a master of light like Caravaggio was an important and an exciting challenge. We decided to bring FLOS on board because of our consolidated partnership with the company. The light architecture of DENTRO CARAVAGGIO entailed the development of special solutions that bring out both the intensity of the colours and the three-dimensionality of the subjects. We also chose to illuminate the rooms and the areas around the canvases in such a way as to bring visitors inside the atmosphere of the paintings and accompany them on a journey through some of the most visionary contrasts and shadows in the history of art.ā
Flos is proud to have the opportunity to pay tribute to the creative and rebellious genius of Caravaggio and his masterpieces, applying some of the most advanced skills and technologies available in the field of professional lighting.
COMPANY PROFILE
Flos is an international company and brand synonymous with high quality and the ultimate expression of fine design, recognized the world over as a leading in the residential and architectural lighting sector. Established in Merano -northern Italy- in 1962 by Dino Gavina and Cesare Cassina, in 1964 the Gandini family took up the helm and transferred the companyās headquarters to the Brescia area. Right from the outset, Flos commissioned great masters of Italian design to work with the company, such as the Castiglioni brothers -Achille and Pier Giacomo- and Tobia Scarpa. One of the first experimental projects was cocoon, a plastic material made in the U.S. The aim was to create industrial archetypes and ground-breaking products, which soon went on to become design icons, like the Arco floor lamp.
In the late 1980s,the company began its exclusive collaboration with Philippe Starck, an emerging designer on the international scene, who introduced somerevolutionary concepts for Italian design. Sergio Gandiniās son Piero was appointed CEO in 1996 and Chairman in 1999. He gave a strong impulse to internationalization and called on other great designers to work with him, including Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, Ron Gilad, the Bouroullec brothers, Michael Anastassiades and many more.
The 1990s saw the development of the contract business area. In response to growing demand forĀ specific solutions addressed to high profile custom lighting projects, the Light Contract division was established in 1996.
In the 2000s, the architectural sector was given a strong boost by the acquisition of Antares, a Spanish company specialising in technical lighting in which FLOS acquired a majority stake in 2005. This union of a Spanish manufacturer of professional lighting equipment and an Italian manufacturer of designer lamps for the residential market resulted in the Flos Architectural division, which successfully combines advanced, cutting-edge lighting technologies and unique poetic quality of light.
In November 2014, the entry of the European private equity fund Investindustrial into the FLOSācapital marked the start of a further period of industrial development and international expansion for the company, through both organic growth and selective acquisitions.
FLOS is today the only company in the lighting field that is able to offer a complete range of fully integrated solutions. It exports to more than 70 countries worldwide and has single-brand stores in Rome, Milan, Paris, Lyon, New York, Stockholm and Hong Kong.
The brandās creations have received numerous international awards and many of them are now featured in the permanent collections of leading international art and design museums.
