Marella Agnelli Explained

Marella Agnelli
Birth Name:Princess Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto
Birth Date:4 May 1927
Birth Place:Florence, Italy
Death Place:Turin, Italy
House:Caracciolo
Spouse:Gianni Agnelli
(m. 1953; died 2003)
Issue:Edoardo Agnelli
Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen
Father:Filippo Caracciolo, 8th Prince of Castagneto, 3rd Duke of Melito, Patrician of Naples
Mother:Margaret Clarke

Marella Agnelli (pronounced as /it/; born Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto pronounced as /it/; 4 May 1927 – 23 February 2019) was an Italian noblewoman, art collector, socialite, style icon,[1] [2] [3] and wife of Fiat S.p.A. chairman Gianni Agnelli.[4] [5] She often appeared in the fashion magazine Vogue.[6] She was named to the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List in 1963.[7] [8]

Background

Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto was born in Florence,[9] Kingdom of Italy, as a member of the House of Caracciolo of the high Italian nobility and aristocracy.[10] Her father was Don Filippo Caracciolo, 8th Prince of Castagneto, 3rd Duke of Melito, and hereditary Patrician of Naples (1903–1965), from an old noble Neapolitan family dating back to the Kingdom of Naples; he took part in the Italian resistance movement, was the executive secretary of the National Liberation Committee, an undersecretary of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Second Badoglio government,[11] helped overcome objections for the Italian Communist Party to join the government,[12] became secretary for the Action Party, and was general-secretary of the Council of Europe.[13]

Agnelli's mother was Margaret Clarke (1898–1955), of Peoria, Illinois, United States, and Rockford, Illinois,[14] the heiress of a well-known family of whiskey producers;[15] she hung her mother's portraits in roomscapes of wicker furniture and sprigged cotton.[16] She had two brothers: Don Carlo Caracciolo (1925–2008), who inherited their father's titles in 1965 and founded the Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso and newspaper La Repubblica,[17] and was known as "a prince among newspaper editors",[18] or as "the editor prince", a reference to his aristocratic birth and elegant manner;[19] and Don Nicola Caracciolo (1931–2020), the holder of both titles since 2008, as 10th Prince of Castagneto, 5th Duke of Melito, and hereditary Patrician of Naples.[20] [21] They grew up in Rome and Turkey, and spoke Italian, French, and English.[22]

Family

She was married in Osthoffen to Gianni Agnelli, the Fiat tycoon who was widely referred to as "the uncrowned king of Italy",[23] on 19 November 1953; they would remain married until his death on 24 January 2003.[24] In their 50-year marriage,[25] they had two children and eight grandchildren:[26] [27]

Into the 2020s, the de Pahlens remain involved in a dispute with the Elkanns over Agnelli's inheritance.[28] [29]

Career

After Agnelli obtained her diploma in Switzerland,[30] she was educated in Paris, where she attended the Académie des Beaux-Arts and then the Académie Julian in Paris.[31] As part of her varied career, which included photography,[32] design, and art collection,[33] as well as a modeling career,[34] Agnelli began her photography career as an assistant to Erwin Blumenfeld in New York City,[35] [36] where she lived on Park Avenue on the Upper East Side.[37] When she returned to Italy, Agnelli was also an occasional editor and photographic contributor to Vogue and Condé Nast, among other magazines.[38] In 1973, she created a textile line for Abraham-Zumsteg, for which she was awarded the Resources Council's Roscoe (the design trade's equivalent of the Oscar) in 1977.[39] [40] [41] This was followed by work for the Ratti in Como, Steiner factories in France, and for Martex and numerous others for Marshall Field's in the United States.[42] She specialized in furnishing fabrics.[43]

An avid gardener,[44] [45] Agnelli authored a number of books on the subject,[46] also providing many of the photographs.[47] Two of her books are about the Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa, such as The Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa: Two Centuries of a Family Retreat (1998), and the Garden of Ninfa, such as Il giardino di Ninfa (1999).[48] Into the 21st century, she oversaw the opening of the Renzo Piano-designed art gallery Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, built on the roof of the former Lingotto Fiat factory in Turin.[49] The Agnelli collection includes Picasso, Renoir, Canaletto, Matisse, and Canova masterpieces, and opened in 2002.[50] [51] The gallery also puts on temporary modern art exhibitions.[52] [53] She commissioned art from the likes of Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon.[54]

In 1970, Agnelli founded the National Commission of United World Colleges. She was a member of the International Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, and of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Among others, she was also vice-president of the Council of Palazzo Grassi in Venice, as well as president of I 200 del Fai in Milan and of the Association of Turin Friends of Contemporary Art in Turin.[55] [56]

The Swans

The reserved, patrician tastemaker, and socialite Agnelli was known for her inclusion in Truman Capote's the Swans, a circle of wealthy, stylish, and well-married women friends whose company he adored because, in his words, they "had created themselves, as he had done", and "had stories to tell".[57] According to Capote, Agnelli was "the European swan numero uno", one of the youngest in a group that included Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, C. Z. Guest, Slim Keith, Pamela Harriman, Lee Radziwill, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In her autobiography, Washington Post publisher and Capote friend Katharine Graham recounted that the author once told her that if Paley and Agnelli were "both in Tiffany's window, Marella would be more expensive."[58] Agnelli herself was nicknamed the Swan by Richard Avedon for a 1949 photograph that appeared on Vogue;[59] Agnelli was among the notable photos Avedon took.[60] Her other nickname, the Last Swan, was coined by Capote.[61]

Death

After a long illness,[62] Agnelli died at the age of 91 on 23 February 2019 at her home in Turin;[63] [64] [65] the announcement was made by her family.[66] Days prior to her death, Agnelli's health deteriored,[67] and the cause of death was ruled to be from complications of Parkinson's disease; she had been in a condition of invalidity for several years, and in her last months she was artificially fed.[68] The funeral was held in a strictly private form on 25 February 2019 in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli at Villar Perosa. At the end of the ritual, her body was buried in the family chapel in the city cemetery.[69] [70] Among others, she was mourned by association football club Juventus, which is owned by the Agnelli family.[71]

Popular culture

Agnelli was portrayed in the American biographical film Infamous (2006) by Isabella Rossellini.[72]

Books

Honours

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: È morta Marella Agnelli la principessa che ha 'indossato' la Storia d'Italia. Marie Claire. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  2. News: Marella Agnelli, Italian symbol of elegance and beauty, dies at 91. The Washington Post. 24 February 2019. 2641-9599. 18 February 2023.
  3. Balzarotti. Leda. 23 February 2019. Marella Agnelli e il suo stile. Io Donna. it. 16 February 2023.
  4. Bachrach. Judy. 22 March 2011. La Vita Agnelli. Vanity Fair. 16 February 2023.
  5. News: Marella Agnelli obituary. The Times. 26 February 2019. 0140-0460. 16 February 2023.
  6. Bonelli. Valentina. 23 February 2019. Addio a Marella Agnelli. Vogue Italia. it. 16 February 2023.
  7. Web site: World's Best Dressed Women. dead. The International Hall of Fame: Women. 1963. https://web.archive.org/web/20130712215415/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/the-international-best-dressed-list/hall-of-fame-women. 12 July 2013. 16 February 2023.
  8. Book: Zilkha, Bettina. 2004. Ultimate Style – The Best of the Best Dressed List. New York. Assoluine Publishing. 70–73, 89. 978-2-8432-3513-9.
  9. Web site: Torino: morta Marella Agnelli, vedova dell'avvocato. Aveva 91 anni, era nata a Firenze. Firenze Post. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  10. News: Morta Marella Agnelli, la moglie di Gianni. Corriere della Sera. it. 19 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  11. Web site: Carnino. Andrea. 25 February 2019. Addio a Marella Agnelli. Croce Reale. it. 16 February 2023.
  12. Book: Santarelli, Enzo. 1999. Mezzogiorno, 1943–1944: uno sbandato nel regno del Sud. Milan. Feltrinelli. 79. 978-88-07-81528-7. 16 February 2023. Google Books.
  13. News: Scali. Antonio. 23 February 2019. Marella Agnelli: chi era la vedova dell'Avvocato scomparsa a 92 anni. The Post Internazionale. it. 16 February 2023.
  14. News: Turani. Giuseppe. 25 January 2003. L'Avvocato. La Repubblica. it. 16 February 2023.
  15. Web site: Marsala. Helga. 23 February 2019. Donna Marella Agnelli, l'ultimo cigno. Addio a una regina di stile. Artribune. it. 16 February 2023.
  16. Bowles. Hamish. 22 January 2018. A Home In Tuscany Undergoes A Magnificent Makeover. Architectural Digest. 16 February 2023.
  17. News: Povoledo. Elisabetta. 17 December 2008. C. Caracciolo, 83, a Publisher and La Repubblica Founder, Is Dead. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 16 February 2023.
  18. News: url at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5468738.ece Wayback Machine link at http://web.archive.org/web/20100524024432/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5468738.ece--> Carlo Caracciolo: newspaper publisher who set up La Repubblica. The Times. 0140-0460. 17 February 2023.
  19. News: Greenslade. Roy. 18 December 2008. Farewell to Italy's 'editor prince'. The Guardian. 0261-3077. 17 February 2023.
  20. Book: Almanach de Gotha. Gotha. Justus Perthes. 1942. 398–399.
  21. News: Rizzo. Sergio. 25 April 2020. Nicola Caracciolo, l'irriducibile. La Repubblica. it. 17 February 2023.
  22. Colacello. Bob. 8 August 2013. The Mysterious Heirs of Italian Prince Carlo Caracciolo. Vanity Fair. 16 February 2023.
  23. News: Carlo Caracciolo: Newspaper publisher who founded 'La Repubblica' founder and champion. The Independent. 22 December 2008. 1741-9743. 17 February 2023.
  24. Agnelli. Marella. 23 August 2014. Marella Agnelli's Glamorous Life with Fiat Heir Gianni Agnelli — Becoming an Agnelli. Vanity Fair. 16 February 2023.
  25. News: Morta a Torino Marella Agnelli Caracciolo, vedova dell'avvocato. Il Sole 24 Ore. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  26. News: Settanta Agnelli la grande dinastia. La Repubblica. it. 15 November 2000. 16 February 2023.
  27. Web site: E' morta Marella Agnelli, vedova di Gianni. Quotidiano.net. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  28. News: Gerevini. Mario. Massaro. Fabrizio. 24 October 2021. Eredità Agnelli: i fratelli de Pahlen contro gli Elkann. Ecco i tre testamenti di Marella Caracciolo. Corriere della Sera. it. 7 February 2023.
  29. News: Per cosa litigano gli Agnelli. Il Post. it. 8 November 2022. 7 February 2023.
  30. Web site: Morta Marella, la moglie dell'avvocato Agnelli. TVS. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  31. News: Addio a Marella Agnelli, 'l'ultimo cigno': una vita a fianco dell'Avvocato. La fotostoria. Sky TG24. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  32. Ambrosio. Daniela. 20 March 2021. Magazine Storie Di Donne. La passione per l'arte e la fotografia di Marella Agnelli, l'ultimo, indimenticabile cigno. Elle Italia. it. 16 February 2023.
  33. News: Lutto. È morta a 92 anni Marella Agnelli, vedova di Gianni. Avvenire. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  34. Web site: È morta Marella Agnelli, donna eclettica che per molti è solo 'la moglie dell'avvocato'. Open. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  35. Web site: Le foto più belle di Marella Agnelli firmate Umberto Pizzi. Formiche.net. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  36. News: Valensise. Marina. 21 January 2023. Le belle e le bestie. Gli scatti di Erwin Blumenfeld in mostra a Parigi. Il Foglio. it. 16 February 2023.
  37. Goodman. Wendy. 4 November 2014. Revisiting Style Icon Marella Agnelli's Art-Filled Park Avenue Apartment. New York. 16 February 2023.
  38. Web site: È morta Marella Agnelli, la designer vedova dell'Avvocato. Giornlettismo. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  39. News: È morta Marella Agnelli, vedova di Gianni. Aveva 92 anni. AGI. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  40. Web site: Marella Agnelli, il ritratto di una Signora. FormulaPassion.it. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  41. Web site: Addio a Marella Agnelli. Il Domani d'Italia. it. 24 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  42. News: Addio a Marella, protagonista di un'epoca che non c'è più. La Repubblica. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  43. Web site: De Angelis. Marilena. 23 February 2019. Morta Marella Agnelli Caracciolo: la vedova dell'Avvocato aveva 92 anni. UrbanPost. it. 16 February 2023.
  44. News: Mammì. Alessandra. 23 February 2019. Marella Agnelli tra arte, moda e il suo giardino capolavoro. La Repubblica. it. 16 February 2023.
  45. News: Angeleri. Francesca. 24 February 2019. Marella Agnelli, i giardini e Pejrone: 'Amava le rose bianche e detestava le bocche di leone'. Il Corriere della Sera. it. 16 February 2023.
  46. Web site: Fantasia. Giuseppe. 5 January 2015. 'Ho coltivato il mio giardino': Marella Agnelli si racconta in un libro. L'Huffington Post Italia. it. 16 February 2023.
  47. News: Stefanelli. Elisabetta. 6 October 2014. Marella Agnelli: Il mio giardino, il sogno di una vita. ANSA. it. 16 February 2023.
  48. News: Marella Agnelli, la principessa Caracciolo di Castagneto diventata un'icona di stile. Il Fatto Quotidiano. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  49. Web site: Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli. Piemonte Italia. 16 February 2023.
  50. News: García. Ángeles. 22 April 2012. Cómo zafarse de la sombra de los Agnelli. live. El País. es. 1576-3757. https://web.archive.org/web/20191212175301/https://elpais.com/elpais/2012/04/20/gente/1334921228_460973.html. 12 December 2019. 16 February 2023.
  51. News: Pajot. Guillaume. 15 April 2016. Turin, l'auto centrée. live. Libération. fr. 0335-1793. https://web.archive.org/web/20160910012545/http://www.liberation.fr/voyages/2016/04/15/turin-l-auto-centree_1446494. 10 September 2016. 16 February 2023.
  52. News: Sabino. Catherine. 29 September 2019. 9 Amazing Museums In Italy You Might Not Know About But Should. live. Forbes. https://web.archive.org/web/20191229074948/https://www.forbes.com/sites/catherinesabino/2019/09/29/9-amazing-museums-in-italy-you-might-not-know-about-but-should/. 29 December 2019. 16 February 2023.
  53. News: Marella Agnelli, socialite and garden designer who bestrode high society with her husband Gianni, the head of Fiat – obituary. live. The Daily Telegraph . 1 March 2019. 0307-1235. https://web.archive.org/web/20190312053817/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/03/01/marella-agnelli-socialite-garden-designer-bestrode-high-society/. 12 March 2019. 16 February 2023.
  54. News: È morta Marella Agnelli, vedova di Gianni Agnelli. Il Post. it. 23 February 2023. 16 February 2023.
  55. È morta Marella Agnelli, vedova dell'Avvocato Gianni Agnelli, icona di moda e dama del jet set italiano. Io Donna. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  56. News: Addio a Marella Agnelli, principessa icona di stile. Adnkronos. it. 14 December 2020. 16 February 2023.
  57. Book: Clarke, Gerald. 1988. Capote: A Biography. New York. Simon & Schuster. 274–275. 978-0-6712-2811-8.
  58. Book: Graham, Katharine. 29 March 2018. Personal History. Women in History. London. Hachette UK. 393. 978-1-4746-1026-1. 16 February 2023. Google Books.
  59. Book: Moncalvo, Gigi. 2009. I lupi & gli Agnelli: ombre e misteri della famiglia più potente d'Italia. it. Florence. Vallecchi. 25. 978-88-8427-159-4.
  60. Web site: La fotografia di moda: Richard Avedon. Image Mag. it. Mondartech Institute. 2022. 16 February 2023.
  61. Web site: Franchi. Mosè. 22 February 2022. [Ricordando 'l'ultimo cigno']]. Image Mag. it. 16 February 2023.
  62. News: Morta Marella Agnelli, vedova dell'Avvocato Gianni Agnelli: aveva 92 anni ed era malata da tempo. Il Mattino. it. 19 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  63. News: Wertheim. Bonnie. 23 February 2019. Marella Agnelli, Society's 'Last Swan' and a Passionate Gardener, Is Dead at 91. live. The New York Times. 0362-4331. https://web.archive.org/web/20200219234744/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/23/obituaries/marella-agnelli-dead.html. 19 February 2020. 16 February 2023.
  64. Turra. Alessandra. 23 February 2019. Marella Agnelli Caracciolo Dies at 91. Women's Wear Daily. 16 February 2023.
  65. News: Widow of late Fiat Chairman Gianni Agnelli dies at 91. Reuters. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  66. Web site: Montanaro. Flavia. 23 February 2019. Chi era Marella Agnelli Caracciolo, morta a 92 anni la vedova dell'avvocato. Lettera35.it. it. 16 February 2023.
  67. News: È morta Marella Caracciolo, vedova di Gianni Agnelli. La Repubblica. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  68. Web site: Villar Perosa, lutto cittadino per la morte di 'Donna Marella' Agnelli. Torino Oggi. it. 24 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  69. News: Griseri. Paolo. 25 February 2023. Marella Agnelli sepolta a Villar Perosa a fianco del figlio Edoardo e del marito. La Repubblica. it. 16 February 2023.
  70. Web site: Pennia. Alexia. 25 February 2023. Addio a Marella Agnelli: la figlia Margherita e i nipoti Lapo, John e Ginevra per l'ultimo saluto. Torino Today. it. 16 February 2023.
  71. News: È morta Marella Agnelli, la vedova dell'Avvocato. Aveva 92 anni ed è mancata nella sua casa di Torino. La Juve: 'Giorno triste, condoglianze a tutta la famiglia'. Tuttosport. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.
  72. Web site: Infamous – Una pessima reputazione. MyMovies.it. Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso. it. 2006. 16 February 2023.
  73. News: Morta Marella Agnelli, moglie Avvocato. ANSA. it. 23 February 2019. 16 February 2023.

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