Irene Brin
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Irene Brin (born Maria Victoria Rossi, 14 June 1911 – 31 May 1969) was an Italian fashion journalist, writer and art dealer.


Biography

Irene Brin was born in Rome from a well-educated Ligurian family of progressive views. Her father was general Vincenzo Rossi, author of two popular military treaties: ''War in the Mountains'' (1902) and ''The English Expedition in Tibet'' (1905). Her mother, Maria Pia Luzzatto, was born and raised in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
from a Jewish family, and contributed transmitting to her daughters her passion for languages (she was fluent in Italian, French, German and English), art and literature. Brin was also the niece of the criminal lawyer Francesco Rossi (1863-1948), who was mayor of Bordighera from 1901 to 1907, and the cousin of the lawyer
Paolo Rossi Paolo Rossi (; 23 September 1956 – 9 December 2020) was an Italian professional association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He led Italy national football team, Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup t ...
who became minister of education, as well as chairman of the
Antimafia Commission The Antimafia Commission () is a bicameral commission of the Italian Parliament, composed of members from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The first commission, formed in 1963, was established as a body of inquiry tasked wi ...
and President of the Constitutional Court. She was also a removed cousin of the daughter of Paolo Rossi, the writer Maria Francesca Rossi, known as
Francesca Duranti Francesca Duranti (born 2 January 1935) is an Italian writer. Personal life and education She was born Francesca Rossi in Genoa and received a law degree from the University of Pisa. She married Enrico Magnini in 1956; they had one child and se ...
.


Early years and the meeting with Gaspero del Corso

In 1934, at the age of twenty, Brin made her debut in the columns of the newspaper "Il lavoro” (The Work) in Genoa edited by Giovanni Ansaldo. In 1937 Ansaldo recommended her to
Leo Longanesi Leopoldo "Leo" Longanesi (30 August 1905 27 September 1957) was an Italian journalist, publicist, screenplayer, playwright, writer, and publisher. Longanesi is mostly known in his country for his satirical works on Italian society and people. H ...
as a columnist for the weekly ''
Omnibus Omnibus may refer to: Film and television * ''Omnibus'' (film), a 1992 French short comedy film * Omnibus (broadcast), a compilation of Radio or TV episodes * ''Omnibus'' (British TV programme), an arts-based documentary programme * ''Omnibu ...
''. Initially she wrote under the pseudonym "Mariù", but later changed to "Oriane" as a tribute to
Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...
's character Oriane de Guermantes. She eventually adopted the name Irene Brin. Brin's fiancé, Carlo Roddolo, died on 18 February 1937 in
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...
. A few years later during a dance at the hotel Excelsior in Rome, she met Gaspero del Corso, a young officer with whom she discovered to share an intense passion for Proust, art and travelling. The two married shortly afterwards. In 1941 Brin wrote her first book "Olga in Belgrade", inspired by her experience during the war in
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
mainly in Slovenia from 1941 to 1942.


War

In 1943 the couple returned to Rome. Following the
armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...
, Gaspero del Corso was considered a deserter and he then hid in the house, along with forty other officers and disbanded soldiers, to avoid the Nazi troops roundups. At that time Brin and del Corso's only income came from Irene's translation work which was scarce due to her refusal to work for publishers who were collaborating with the Nazi occupying forces. As such she was forced to sell their wedding gifts, including an alligator bag and prints and drawings by artists such as
Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
,
Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...
, Morandi ... Shortly after Brin found a job as a saleswoman in the art library La Margherita, assisted by her husband who, under the false identity of Ottorino Maggiore, helped her procuring books and drawings.


L'Obelisco

During her time at La Margherita, Brin met a then unknown artist,
Renzo Vespignani Renzo Vespignani (1924 - 26 April 2001)"Francis Bacon" (list of biographies), 2001, ''KLEINOS edizione d'arte'' (Italian translated), webpage:. was an Italian painter, printmaker and illustrator. "Obituaries - Hiroshi Teshigahara, Renzo Vespig ...
. Through their connections, Brin and del Corso were able to sell a significant amount of his work, an episode that prompted them to rent a room in Via Sistina 146 and found L'Obelisco gallery of Gaspero and Maria del Corso in 1946. The gallery inaugurated with a solo presentation of
Giorgio Morandi Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaker widely known for his subtly muted still-life paintings of ceramic vessels, flowers, and landscapes—their quiet, meditative quality reflecting the artist's ...
. Parallel to established artists like
Giorgio de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( ; ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His ...
,
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
,
Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
, Bruno Caruso and
Giacomo Balla Giacomo Balla (18 July 1871 – 1 March 1958) was an Italian painter, art teacher and poet best known as a key proponent of Futurism. In his paintings, he depicted light, movement and speed. He was concerned with expressing movement in his works ...
, Brin and del Corso also exhibited emerging talents like
Alberto Burri Alberto Burri (12 March 191513 February 1995; ) was an Italian visual artist, painter, sculptor, and physician based in Città di Castello. He is associated with the matterism of the European informal art movement and described his style as ...
,
Zoran Mušič Zoran Mušič (12 February 1909 – 25 May 2005), baptised as Anton Zoran Musič, was a Slovene painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He was the only painter of Slovene descent who managed to establish himself in the elite cultural circles of ...
and
Lucio Fontana Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Italian Argentines, Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor, and theorist. He is known as the founder of Spatialism and exponent of Abstract art, abstract painting as the f ...
. Following a trip to New York, Brin established close links with the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, introducing to the Italian art scene artists like
Alexander Calder Alexander "Sandy" Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobile (sculpture), mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, hi ...
,
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...
and
Robert Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" or "Bob" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combine painting, Combines (1954 ...
.


''La Settimana Incom''

In 1946, parallel to her activities at Gallery L'Obelisco, Brin began collaborating with '' La Settimana Incom'' an illustrated
newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...
edited by of Luigi Barzini Jr. Her surveys, initially aimed at dispensing advice to readers about style, social behaviour and fashion trends, resulted in short pieces laced with irony and literary quotations. A few of her contributions were signed with the pseudonym Contessa Clara Ràdjanny von Skèwitch, a fictional old aristocratic lady exiled from an unspecified country behind the Iron Curtain who would often recount her meetings with Royals and famous writers. Countess Clara later inspired Italian actor
Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, comedian, voice dubber, director, singer, composer and screenwriter. Sordi is considered one of the most important actors in the history of Italian cinema and one of the b ...
's parody character Count Claro.


''Harper's Bazaar''

In 1950, during a trip to New York, Brin was stopped by a lady in Park Avenue who asked her where she bought the classy dress she was wearing. (It was designed by Alberto Fabiani). The woman in question turned out to be
Diana Vreeland Diana Vreeland (September 29, 1903 – August 22, 1989) was an American fashion columnist and editor. She worked for the fashion magazine ''Harper's Bazaar'' and as editor-in-chief at '' Vogue'', later becoming a special consultant to the Costume ...
, then editor in chief of ''
Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
''. Brin and Vreeland became good acquaintances, and Brin became the first Italian contributor to the magazine, introducing Italian fashion to an international audience. In 1951 Brin worked actively to the success of the first Italian fashion show organized by the Marquis Giovanni Battista Giorgini at his private residence in Villa Torrigiani in Via de 'Serragli in Florence. She also collaborated to the second edition that took place in July 1952 in the White Hall of
Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...
.


Final days

Despite being affected by an incurable disease, Brin continued her work activities and travelling. In the spring of 1969, she went to Strasbourg to visit a local art exhibitions. On the way back, not being able to continue the trip to Rome, she decided to stop in her family house in
Bordighera Bordighera (; , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, the French coast is visible from the town. Having the Capo Sant'Ampel ...
, where she died on 31 May. The Gallery l'Obelisco continued until 1978. The final exhibition was a tribute to
Tina Modotti Tina Modotti (born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini, August 16/17, 1896 – January 5, 1942) was an Italian American photographer, model, actor, and revolutionary political activist for the Comintern. She left her native Italy in 1913 a ...
. Its archive was bought by Giuseppe Cassetti who sold it to the National Gallery in Rome in 2000.


Honours

On 2 June 1955 Brin was knighted the “Grand Cross of
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
” by the
president of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...
,
Giovanni Gronchi Giovanni Gronchi, (; 10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978) was an Italian politician from Christian Democracy who served as President of Italy from 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "opening t ...
, for her contribution to “the success and development of Italian fashion in the world”. Sito web del Quirinale: dettaglio decorato.
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Bibliography

* ''Olga a Belgrado'', Vallecchi, Florence, 1943 * ''Usi e Costumi 1920-1940'', Donatello de Luigi, Rome, 1944 * ''Le Visite'', Casa Editrice Partenia, Rome, 1944 * ''Images de Lautrec'', Carlo Bestetti Edizioni d’Arte/Collezione dell’Obelisco, Rome, 1947 * ''Femmes de Lautrec'', Carlo Bestetti Edizioni d’Arte/Collezione dell’Obelisco, Rome, 1954 * ''I Segreti del Successo'', Colombo Editore, Rome, 1954 (as Contessa Clara) * ''Il Galateo'', Colombo Editore, Rome, 1959 (as Contessa Clara) * ''Cose viste 1938-1939'', Sellerio Editore, Palermo, 1994


Further reading

* ''Irene Brin: The Birth of Italian Look 1945-1969'' by Vittoria Caterina Caratozzolo, Marsilio, Venice, 2006 * ''Mille Mariù. Vita di Irene Brin'' by Claudia Fusani with a preface by Concita De Gregorio, Castelvecchi Editore, Rome, 2012


Notes and references


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brin, Irene 1911 births 1969 deaths 20th-century Italian Jews 20th-century Italian journalists 20th-century Italian women Italian art dealers Italian people of Austrian descent Italian women journalists Italian women writers Fashion journalists Women art dealers