Diary of a Spring Night in Rome by Cartier with Monica Bellucci

At 8:30 the guests begin to arrive, walking down the red carpet Cartier selected to welcome its guests, moving amid the photographers? flashes that are the ritual at every glamorous event: it is an exceptional showcase for Rome?s bella vita, from the stars of the city?s nightlife to protagonists of its entertainment, art and culture scenes, gathered together there this evening to celebrate the arrival of a new spring.

LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN?
The evening has everything it needs to become legendary, starting with the sweeping stairs that lead guests (perhaps trembling a bit with excitement), up to the entrance of a temple of art transformed by a visionary director. The Galleria Nazionale d?Arte Moderna shines in the Roman night, illuminated in rouge Cartier, evoking the French Maison?s preferred color for its gift boxes. Inside the building, guests are hosted in the luminous Room of Ceremonies, where Cartier has reserved a special champagne just for their delectation.

MONICA BELLUCCI, GODMOTHER OF BEAUTY

The first event of the evening is the arrival of Monica Bellucci, Cartier?s splendid godmother for the evening, called upon to impersonate the myth of timeless beauty thanks to her extraordinary sensual attraction. Welcomed and accompanied by Bernard Fornas, President and CEO of Cartier International, the actress and her train will join guests inside the Galleria: here, amid the paintings and sculpture in the rooms of the museum?s western wing, Cartier has invented a true garden of delights, evoking the lights, colors and gems of a precious springtime.

THE STAGING OF A PRECIOUS COLLECTION
The entire exhibition harkens to the enchantments of the year?s most beautiful season, playing with the delicate tonalities of the colors Cartier?s jewelers have chosen for the Maison?s new collection, D?lices de Cartier, which is the scintillating common theme
uniting the entire evening. Pink triumphs in all its shades, alongside the intense red of rubies, the orange shades of mandarin garnets, the lavender tones of amethysts, the thousand-and-one blues of the aquamarine?The new collection is set on stage and interpreted through various moments orchestrated by an ingenious director.

In the rooms that host artwork from the twentieth century, the Maison?s new jewelry are provided with an unusual backdrop through suggestive tableaux vivants: paintings animated by twelve young girls dressed in costumes designed by Gianfranco Ferr?, wearing necklaces, earrings and rings. The tableaux are set up on small podiums along with accessories from the world of interior design.

A GARDEN OF DELIGHTS
Outside the modern art room, a picture studio has been set up along with a luminous backdrop with sparkling firework displays. In the large room dedicated Canova, the statues have been draped with pastel-colored voiles, and the walls papered with veils of pink silk, while enlarged images of the jewelry and precious stones appear projected on the statues like dream themes.
Within this scenario, large white sofas and multicolored cushions matched with little poufs and low tables invite guests to relax and enjoy the pleasures of idle conversation. For the springtime cocktails, the buffet has been decorated with light structures and arches draped with luminous cascades, in which spheres of every color intermingle with glass flowers.
In the side rooms, round tables have been outfitted with pastel taffetas in all the shades of pale rose, aquamarine, light green and citrus, inviting guests to enjoy the delicious cocktails and hors d?oeuvres amid the sweet atmosphere created by the tables? sugar flower centerpieces.

GOTAN PROJECT AND TANGO
During this evening dance will take center stage?lights and music announce the first act for the guest: atop two podiums set up amid the statues at the center of the large salon, two pairs of tango dancers will present the public with an emotionally-charged dance performance. They are the artists of the Gotan Project, a world-famous ensemble born in Paris of the experiences gleaned by European and Argentine musicians, who came together to give tango (of which the name Gotan is a simple anagram) a renaissance. Over recent years they have gifted tango with new sounds, mixing its traditions with the new possibilities offered by electric and house music: an unusual and engaging creation that has brought the group success on a global scale. The dancers will use Gotan Project?s music to express all the sensual charge inherent in modern tango, the ?Tango Nuevo??

THE CONTEMPORARY DANCE OF BLANCA LI
A little later everyone?s attention is drawn to the new, unexpected appearance of four ballerinas, who present their audience with a new contemporary dance performance, this time entrusted to the direction of Blanca Li. A Spanish choreographer, dancer and director, Blanca Li is an artist famous among all lovers of contemporary dance. She dedicates herself to creations that mix diverse expressive genres, from flamenco to classical and baroque dance, even cabaret and musicals. She was the first artist to bring hip-hop into the theatre.

THE SPRING SENSATIONS OF BRENDAN BECHT
Cartier has entrusted an exceptional food designer, Brendan Becht, to create its menu of springtime tastes and colours. A chef passionate about contemporary art, architecture, design and music, as well as a knowledgeable expert in Dutch, English, French, Italian and Japanese cuisines and a declared lover of continuous experimentation and innovation, Becht combines simple ingredients with visionary taste in a personal style that invents creations that are both exquisite and fascinating. For the Cartier party, this food artist has come up with a fresh menu, naturally with spring as a central theme, interlacing the chromatic harmonies and perfumes of the season, adding touches of flowers here and seasonal fruits there. Guests will find pink marguerites, nasturtium leaves and flowers, primroses, borage flowers? Rose ice cream and rosebuds, fruit and flowers in the sorbets: black cherries with an almond crumble; apple with fresh mint and violet; blueberry with crunchy lemon, white peach with raspberries. And to top it all off, ?tutti-frutti? macaroons: a typical French almond sweet reinterpreted with spring fruits in honour of the Cartier jewelry house?

A SCINTILLATING GRAND FINALE
For the grand finale of D?lices de Cartier, a scintillating display will return to the stage: the girls who animated the tableaux vivants up until this moment now become the protagonists of a fashion show that affords the guests a last opportunity to admire the Maison?s spectacular new creations. All good things must come to an end, and as the clock strikes midnight the rooms of the Galleria slowly empty, the lights are turned off one by one, and the music, color and perfumes of the party fade away. But the echo of the evening?s magic will reverberate for a long time across this Roman spring sky?