To celebrate the renovation of its Wooster shop in SoHo New York, Gucci has hired Italian-based Norwegian curator Truls Blaasmo to install art in the 10,000-square-feet space. The effort is part of Gucci's initiative to follow a novel aesthetic path under the guidance of its new creative director Sabato de Sarno. This move shows the belief that the brand has in De Sarno's streamlined and modern vision, while also representing a concerted push by Gucci to place art at the forefront of its values.

Gucci's choice of its boutique at 63 Wooster St is no coincidence. In 1953 the Italian fashion house opened its first store on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in New York City. The company's president and chief executive officer Jean-François Palus voiced his own thoughts on the strong connection that has existed between the two since this time:

Located in the beating heart of New York City, the recently renovated Gucci Wooster Street boutique stands as a symbol of our enduring connection with a city that first welcomed Gucci in 1953. Gucci’s inaugural U.S. store was situated on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, and since then, we have established numerous stores across the city.

SoHo's vibrant urban atmosphere and creative milieu fit with Gucci's stated support for the arts, with the renovation of the 63 Wooster St boutique reinforcing the timelessness of Italian craftsmanship and aesthetic ideals. The two-month renovation, begun in December 2023, changed the layout of the store's interior. The new design brings a more open and airy feeling to the store, providing visitors with an uninterrupted view of the exhibition and the products on display.

De Sarno and Blaasmo have taken an uncommon approach in their curatorial collaboration, assembling works from a broad range of artists, spanning from the Arte Povera movement to such renowned names as Autumn Knight, Larry Bell, Alghiero Boetti, and Sasha Stiles. Video art and digital art have primacy of placement in this installation. An awareness of where the artistic scene is heading undergirds the curators' selection of works, which serve as an expression of the company's commitment to tradition and its dedication to pioneering new stylistic tendencies in fashion.

Three glass cubes perched atop white pedestals by Larry Bell grace the new interior, projecting the light which passes through them onto the ground. The sculpture Tower-1 by Taezoo Park, a Korean artist based in New York, consists of an assortment of retro electronic devices. Sasha Stiles – poet, artist and A.I. researcher – is presented with her video installation REPETAE: Again, Again, a blend of poetic inspiration and generative technology. Gucci acquired these works from private collections and galleries, such as Hauser & Wirth and Helly Nahmad. More information about the art installation at the boutique can be found here and here.

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