Tony Federico "Renzo Rosso"

Fine Art Print
59,4 x 72,2 cm
Limited edition: 15 prints

Gallery quality print

Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre 200 g/qm
Printed, stamped & numbered in Berlin

EU Free Shipping

About this artwork

Shot on Polaroid i-Type 600 / 5x8
Venice / 2010

"That's Renzo Rosso, the legendary founder of Diesel. We were at his home near Venice to take pictures for Harper's Bazaar. The living room, with the flowers and the sofa - in fact, the whole house - has the feel of an enchanted castle. There are baroque elements, modern art, electronic devices and designer furniture. You could say a bit eccentric. Renzo Rosso lives like a lord in an elusive world. Nevertheless, not unpleasant, he is a friendly person. After I took the pictures for the magazine, I met him in his living room, barefoot. I spontaneously took a Polaroid, but Diesel's PR manager didn't agree at all. She didn't want the picture published and practically wanted to take it away from me. At that moment, the fingerprint got on the picture, which I didn't want to let go of. Luckily, Mr Rosso came over and I could ask him directly. He looked at the picture and waited, fascinated, like anyone staring at a developing Polaroid. Finally, he approved and then disappeared laughing into one of the corridors.

The T-shirt is from a 2010 campaign, called 'Be Stupid'. In the sense of risk something, be unreasonable and courageous. I liked that at the time, now it seems a bit shallow. The slogan was meant to be provocative, funny. It was a joke by a man who is one of the richest in the industry. And from this position, he could also be relaxed and throw the advice of his PR manager overboard. Because giving permission to a photographer to take a picture in private spaces, without a contract etc, is probably considered 'stupid' among PR managers, maybe.
However, it turned out that his intuition was not wrong. I only published the Polaroid as part of my private collection and did not pass it on to Harper's Bazaar, who would also have liked to have the picture."
 

www.tonyfederico.it

 

* "Framed option" comes with a premium Nielsen aluminium frame