The Art of Fashion

MAXMARA'S SHOCKING DISCOVERY

IT IS THE PERFECT INTERSECTION OF art and industry. When MaxMara moved into its new location, on Florence's Via Tornabuoni, the company took over a space that for 100 years had been the famous Libreria Seeber bookshop. As the new store was being readied, a series of frescoes were discovered under layers and layers of paint. Experts have since concluded that there are two sets of paintings, some from the 19th century and some from the 16th, which are quite rare and attributable to Agostino Ciampelli. In this artful collision of old and new worlds, it helps that MaxMara founder Achille Maramotti is one of the largest collectors of contemporary art in the world. "He recognizes that to find the frescoes is important," says a MaxMara spokesman. "It may take up floor space in terms of selling, but it is more important to fill people with knowledge and beauty than sell an extra coat."

A.M.H.