You know Loewe the label, but what about the Loewe Foundation, its independent arts institution and champion of old-school cultural forms for the past 28 years? Director Sheila Loewe tells Lucy Rees why it’s more relevant than ever.
“My family has always loved the arts, starting with my grandfather Enrique Loewe the third. My father Enrique Loewe the fourth was an intellectual, and really pushed for support with the romantic ambition of giving back to society what it had given to the brand. So in 1988, he asked what the most needed and forgotten cultural form in Spain was, and it turned out to be poetry. That’s how the Loewe International Poetry prize, and in turn the Foundation, came about.”
“(The Loewe International Poetry Prize) is only a 20,000-euro prize (S$30,680), but the book is published by Visor Libri, Spain’s most celebrated publishing house, and you’ll have your work read in Colombia, Argentina, Mexico – all the Spanish speaking countries. We’ve also had Nobel Prize-winning Mexican poet Octavio Paz as president of the jury. It’s much more than just the money. I believe poets are heroes – it’s so hard to make a living from it, and it’s a dying art.”
“We began with supporting the dance season at the Teatro Real (one of Madrid’s biggest opera houses). We now also sponsor Maria Barres, Spain’s most important dancer and choreographer, and are the only sponsor of the Compania Nacional de Danza (or National Dance Company). We also support this crazy project called #aprendanza, which invites school teachers from all disciplines to learn about dance and choreography. The poetry we support is in Spanish and, considering that Loewe is a universal company, we (also wanted to support something more global and) felt that dance was a universal language. You don’t need to translate it; you just have to feel it.”
“(Getting involved with) photography is very normal for a fashion brand, and was perhaps the most natural thing for us to do. The Foundation has been a part of Photo Espana, Europe’s most important annual photography fair, since 2011. The last exhibition we did was held at Loewe’s flagship store in Madrid, and showcased for the first time in Spain the works of Italian photographer/political activist Tina Modotti. In three months, we got 5,000 visitors – more than some museums that specialise in photography. They weren’t buying or interested in Loewe, but it was great to have the store as a cultural space. Last year, we showed (American fashion photographer) Lillian Bassman, and three years ago, we did an exhibition of the Kennedys by Mark Shaw. Some people feel that they can’t enter a luxury store, but this is really an invitation for anyone to come in.”
“The Foundation acts completely independently, and has a separate budget from the brand, but we are now more aligned than ever because of (creative director/fashion boy wonder) Jonathan Anderson. He cares about our projects.”
“At Art Basel Miami last December, for example, he curated the exhibition Chance Encounters featuring four British artists (ceramicist Lucie Rie, painter/photographer Paul Nash, painter Rose Wylie, and sculptor Anthea Hamilton) at our Miami flagship… It was 100 per cent Jonathan. He chose the artists, the pieces, absolutely everything… (and thanks to it), the Foundation has gained international presence and awareness. It will become an annual event too.”
“As the brand celebrates its 170th anniversary this year, we are now directing our efforts to a new Craft Prize (launching in April). It’s open to any artist in the world working in the applied arts (from industrial design to fashion design), and we want to give it to someone who excels in craft, but also has artistic ambition. For example, Jonathan introduced us to Spanish jeweller Ramon Puig, whose brooches could just as easily be considered sculptures or paintings – these are the kind of people we’re interested to discover.”
“Ramon and John Allen (the textile weaver Loewe tied up with last year) will select 15 finalists whose works will be flown to Madrid, and presented to a panel made up of the London Design Museum’s director Deyan Sudjic; Milanese-based Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola; W Magazine editor Stefano Tonchi; Benedetta Tagliabue, judge of the Pritzker Architecture Prize; and Jonathan himself. All finalists’ works will be showcased in a touring exhibition at Loewe’s global stores, and the winner will receive 50,000 euros (S$76,500).” Applications will close in November 2016, and the winner will be announced in Spring 2017.
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