The Collectors: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
Already esteemed for her contemporary art collection, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo also owns an expansive array of glamorous costume jewelry from the 1950s and ’60s
One of the world’s most prominent contemporary art collectors and patrons, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and her namesake foundation, based in Turin, Italy, boast over 1,500 masterpieces. Lesser known but equally impressive is her incredible cache of costume jewelry, which now spans more than 1,000 items and reveals a particular penchant for the extravagant and glamorous creations of the 1950s and ’60s, worn by Hollywood golden age stars and first ladies such as Mamie Eisenhower and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Represented are makers and brands, including Trifari, Marcel Boucher, Coro, DeRosa, Eisenberg, and Miriam Haskell. “This collection shows the history of the United States from the Great Depression through today,” she says. “I am fascinated by the elegant designs and the humble materials like wood, raffia, and plastic.”
On view: “Like with my art, I want the world to see my jewelry collection,” says Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, whose bijoux holdings have been shown at Palazzo Madama in Turin, Palazzo Mazzetti in Asti, Galleria Giorgio Franchetti at the
Ca’ d’Oro in Venice, and the Collectors Room Berlin. Next is a presentation in Madrid, and Taschen is publishing an extensive compendium of her trove.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2023 Late Fall Issue under the headline “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.