L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Strozzi, San Francisco MoMA, and the Manetti S h r e m M u s e u m o f Contemporary Art. They protect the natural envi- ronment by fostering pub- lic recreational parks such as the brand new Francisco P a r k , w h o s e c o m m u n i t y garden is named after her, and Italian heritage through t h e N a t i o n a l T r u s t o f Italy (FAI), of which Maria is a world-class ambassador. They endorse a number of m e d i c a l - s c i e n t i f i c research centers, with the aim of creating some of the top international hospitals for cardiology (CPMC) and neurology (UCSF) in San Francisco. It is therefore not sur- p r i s i n g t o h e a r t h a t H i s Royal Highness, Charles, P r i n c e o f W a l e s , w h o invites her once a year to B u c k i n g h a m P a l a c e , makes her sit next to him, hugs her, and kisses her on t h e c h e e k , a f f e c t i o n a t e l y defining her "my heroine and my ultimate Italian," as she is also one of the major d o n o r s f o r t h e R o y a l drawing school co-found- ed by the future King him- self together with founding artistic director Catherine Goodman. Maria Manetti Shrem left Italy 50 years ago to emi- g r a t e t o t h e U S , n e i t h e r seeking business opportuni- ties nor for economic rea- sons, but for love. Already in her thirties, Maria had in fact built and developed a f a s t - g r o w i n g c o m p a n y together with her first hus- band. But she happened to be struck by Cupid's bolt and fell in love, out of the blue, with the "love of my life," as she still refers to her second husband, Stephen F a r r o w — a C a l i f o r n i a n Adonis, a young architect for whom she embraced the madness of abandoning her comfort zone, preferring the uncertainty of happiness to the certainty of unhappi- ness. Alone, blindly entrust- i n g h e r s e l f t o h e r h e a r t , Maria took on the world — h e r f i r s t h u s b a n d ( a J e h o v a h ' s W i t n e s s ) , h e r family, and even society in a c o u n t r y , I t a l y , w h e r e divorce was not yet legal— abandoning the Chianti hills and her villa, with its service p e r s o n n e l , i t s p o r c e l a i n s and linens, its comfort and w e l l - b e i n g , t o f l y t o t h e Berkeley hills. She went to live in a commune steeped into the hippie culture of the City by the Bay. Maria start- ed again from scratch, this time in the world of fashion, first working in Magnin's department stores, climbing in no time up to the glass c e i l i n g . I n a h a n d f u l o f years, Maria was "teaching lifestyle to American peo- ple," and thus decided, with "maximum determination, not ambition"—as she likes to point out—to found her o w n c o m p a n y , M a n e t t i F a r r o w , w i t h w h i c h s h e created a new system of dis- tribution of "Made in Italy" fashion creations. She built up a brand-new system to manage the international- ization of collections, and even designed "stores-in- stores" all over America, set- ting the framework to show- case, display and sell down to the smallest detail. In this way, she came to sign an exclusive contract for all Gucci accessories with the blessing of the head of the F l o r e n t i n e b r a n d , A l d o Gucci—her highest admirer and stakeholder. The Gucci brand grew exponentially in the United States thanks to Maria, who contributed to the global rise, in the 1980s, of Gucci as an undisputed brand. T h e d e e p e s t p a i n i n Maria's life came when her marriage to Stephen Farrow ended. In the mid-1990s, Maria was alone, deeply dis- t r e s s e d a n d m o r t a l l y wounded: the love of her life, for whom she had aban- doned everything, was no more. She had to learn to manage her assets, with her heart cruelly broken. This is h o w s h e t u r n e d t o Buddhism, dedicating her- self to meditation, travel, and the study of art history, also thanks to the help of her friends, Pam and Dick K r a m l i c h , e x p e r t s a n d learned collectors of con- temporary art. Maria's phil- a n t h r o p i c a c t i v i t y g r e w m o r e a n d m o r e s t a r t i n g from San Francisco where, as the general manager of the Opera House Matthew Shilvock recounts, the bar had been raised so high by f o u n d e r a n d c o n d u c t o r Gaetano Merola and his colleagues (almost exclu- sively all men), that even doing something close to what they had done seemed difficult. And here, instead, c a m e M a r i a t o r e l a u n c h , with continuity and audaci- ty, programs in support of one of the oldest and most prestigious opera theaters in America. Maria gradually became the closest friend of many names in the interna- tional opera scene such as t h e R u s s i a n c o n d u c t o r V a l e r y G e r g i e v , o r t h e ultimate tenor of the late XX c e n t u r y , L u c i a n o Pavarotti, as well as many n e w a n d v e r y y o u n g p e r - formers. Italian President Sergio Mattarella was present for t h e i n a u g u r a t i o n o f t h e auditorium of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, during the last official mission of his mandate. For Maria, this was a beautiful opportunity t o p e r s o n a l l y t h a n k President Mattarella who, in 2019, bestowed upon her the title of Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy for "the exemplary contribution in the promo- t i o n o f ' M a d e i n I t a l y ' i n North America, in combina- tion with her philanthropic activity in support of Italian culture, language and artists in America." T h e m a y o r o f F i r e n z e , who officially informed her he intends to give her the keys to the city, could not make a nobler gesture, rec- ognizing the greater good t h i s e x c e l l e n t F l o r e n t i n e who emigrated to the United States of America created and continues to create in the world, making a social and cultural impact based on giving to others, encour- aging the young to never g i v e u p t h e i r d r e a m s because, as Maria reminds us: "If you do the job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life." M a u r o A p r i l e Z a n e t t i , Jan 13, 2022, San Francisco, California J a n S h r e m a n d M a r i a M a n e t t i S h r e m - - P h i l a n t h r o p y , A r t s & C u l t u r e A d v i s o r | Biographer of Maria Manetti Shrem. Continued from page 4 An elegant Manetti Shrem poses with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli (Photo: Bloom17/ManettiShrem/Drew Altizer Archive) From left, Manuel Neri, Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem (Photo: Bloom17/ManettiShrem/Drew Altizer Archive)

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