Art for Italy, Italy for Art

2021 Calendar Medal · Picchiani & Barlacchi

Created for the historic Florentine company Picchiani & Barlacchi, the 2021 Calendar Medal marked the 160th anniversary of the unification of Italy and reflects on art and culture as a bridge between the country’s past and its future.

Italy is represented at a moment of maturity: shaped by a complex history, yet looking towards the future with confidence. Art, eternally young, opens a space for new ideas, creativity and human and civil rights.

The circular form of the calendar medal becomes a symbolic space for this future to unfold. At its centre, an iris — an ancient symbol of Florence — blooms as an image of renewal, beauty and a future to be nurtured with care.