Tumult and Order: Malcontenta 1924–1939

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Antonio Foscari

Lars Müller Publishers, Zurich, 2012, English

Nonfiction, Architecture

6 × 9.5 inches, hardcover, 248 pages, 211 illustrations

ISBN: 9783037782972

Suggested Retail Price: $50.00

From the Publisher. One of Andrea Palladio’s masterpieces, La Malcontenta was lovingly restored in the 1920’s and 1930’s by an aesthete, an ebullient French baroness, and a talented designer. In this setting, the trio entertained visitors from Serge Diaghilev, Boris Kochmo, and Serge Lifar, to Winston Churchill, Robert Byron, Diana Cooper, and Le Corbusier. The famous villa became a counterweight to the Lido di Venezia, where film stars and celebrities gathered amidst the dizzying atmosphere of the Film Festival, dancing to Cole Porter’s lyrics and a new form of music: jazz.

The introduction of Italy’s racial laws and Britian’s declaration of war in September 1939 marked the end of an era, sweeping away this heady mix of aristocracy, intellectuals, and the avant-gardes from which modern art had emerged.

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