29 Arts In Progress

A rare and previously unseen photograph by Gian Paolo Barbieri captures a playful moment between two creative geniuses — Barbieri himself and Giorgio Armani — during a summer escape in Greece.

The scene radiates irony and joy: a donkey wearing sunglasses aboard a boat, surrounded by laughter and friendship. It’s an image that reveals the lightness and humanity behind Barbieri’s lens — a master who always found beauty in spontaneity.

📍 On view at Zurich Italia, Milan
🖼️ Courtesy of 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery

Copyright
© Gian Paolo Barbieri

Giorgio Armani, Ingrid Boulting
and Lidia Coppola
Corfù, 1972
Contemporary fine art inkjet print
Edition of 7
60 x 60 cm
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on Studio Authenticity Sticker
Please inquire for availability and pricing

Eternal Elegance — Gian Paolo Barbieri
Now on view at the new headquarters of Zurich Italia and Zurich Bank,
Via Santa Margherita 11, Milan — just steps away from Teatro alla Scala.

In these visionary images from his Venezuela series (1976), Gian Paolo Barbieri transforms the tropical exuberance of South America into pure visual poetry.
Created for Vogue Italia, these photographs blend fashion and nature, myth and modernity — from the pink vibrancy of Caracas’ Botanical Garden to the majestic flight of a condor borrowed from the city’s museum.
With his inimitable eye, Barbieri captures a world where colour, culture, and imagination coexist in timeless elegance.

📍 Eternal Elegance — A photographic journey by Gian Paolo Barbieri
at Zurich Italia’s new Milan headquarters, in partnership with 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery.

⸻

Images:
Gian Paolo Barbieri, “Laura Alvarez, Venezuela”, 1976
Fine art inkjet print, edition of 5, 90 × 90 cm
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on Studio Authenticity Sticker
© Gian Paolo Barbieri — Courtesy of 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery



.paolo.barbieri

A selection of works by Gian Paolo Barbieri is now on view at the new Zurich Italia headquarters, Via Santa Margherita 11, Milan.
The exhibition is open until 15 January 2026, Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 6 pm.

Among the works on display is this iconic photograph from 1993, taken in the Seychelles with Yasmeen Ghauri for Gianfranco Ferré.
Ferré loved grand scenographies: Barbieri conceived a striking composition, arranging natural elements on set and hand-painting the monumental leaves to amplify their visual power — all achieved long before the age of Photoshop.
The negative, preserved for many years at the Gianfranco Ferré Research Center, has only recently been printed for the first time, making this work a rare opportunity to encounter Barbieri’s vision anew.

We are delighted to see photographic art entering new spaces, where it can inspire audiences in unexpected contexts.
—
Copyright GIAN PAOLO BARBIERI
Yasmeen Ghauri for Gianfranco Ferré, Seychelles, 1993
Contemporary fine art print
Edition of 3 · 165 × 110 cm
Signed, titled, dated and numbered on Studio Authenticity Sticker

—

paolo.barbieri