Art, cinema and social involvement were the guests of honour of the VIP gala organised yesterday evening at the Cardi Black Box Gallery in Milan by Lancia. Guests were able to admire the signature photo-mosaics by famous “instant artist” Maurizio Galimberti: star system celebrities, from Colin Firth, Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Jasmine Trinca to Ennio Morricone, Christopher Lambert and Ethan Hawke portrayed at the Lancia Cafè in Venice during the 66th Film Festival.
Pictures which evoke the captivating events that Lancia Cafè often hosts. For the past three years, the glamorous venue, home to true emotions, on the terrace of the Hotel Excelsior, Lido di Venezia, has been chosen by passing VIPs and by the press following events in Venice, such as the Film Festival and the international exhibitions of the Biennale. Pictures which capture the feeling of an exclusive world, where tradition and innovation, elegance and character live side by side. As in film, so in art. The world of Lancia.
After the opening, the auction: auctioneer extraordinaire was Alfonso Signorini, capable and quick to highlight the purpose of the event hosted by patroness Elenoire Casalegno. Thirty-six photo portraits were auctioned off and the proceeds were donated to the Mandela Foundation, specifically for the Mandela Day/46664 project.
46664: this was Mandela's prison number at Robben Island in South Africa, where he was imprisoned for 27 long years, making him a symbol of freedom and hope for suffering people and a legacy for future generations.
The paths of Nelson Mandela and Lancia meet again after 2008, when Lancia Island on Second Life streamed the Mandela Foundation concerts and after the great event of 18 July 2009, when 5000 lucky Lancia prize winners downloaded a player for viewing the premium webcast of the entire event in HD technology free of charge. And above all after the announcement last November, when during the Lancia-sponsored World Nobel Peace Prize Summit, Lancia proclaimed that it would be actively involved as main sponsor of the 2010 edition of Mandela Day in Madrid.
The Madrid appointment will be yet another important step in confirming the dedication of Lancia to major social issues, a path which touched peaks of great intensity with the campaign for freeing Burmese Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and supporting Betty Williams at the Nobel Peace Hall 2008 in 2009.
A path of social involvement which seems contagious, considering that the Milan event involved other companies at the side of Lancia, such as the exclusive catering services offered by Martini and Rana.
Among the many guests, particularly welcome was Jonathan Brownstein, representing the Mandela Foundation, who praised Lancia's committed social involvement. VIP guests included Giovanni Rana, as co-sponsor, two football world champions Pirlo and Zambrotta, and Maddalena Tronchetti Provera. Everyone was at ease as further confirmation of the complete success of the event. The atmosphere of the evening will soon be live on Lancia Channel with video clips and photos dedicated to the auction and interviews with celebrities and guests.
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