Change of curtains at Villa Reale

Villa Reale is a fantastic Neoclassical building on Via Palestro. It houses a museum that seems to change names fairly regularly: it is presently Galleria d’Arte Moderna, or, with the current love for acronyms that seems to be sweeping Italy’s art galleries, GAM. After a superb restoration job that ended in 2006, it became Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte, but this name has apparently been abandoned. Thankfully the museum itself has remained virtually unchanged. Neoclassical sculpture on the ground floor, late 19th century Italian painting on the first floor, where the sala da ballo itself really steals the scene, with its gilding, plaster, columns, a superb timber floor, and the light pouring in through the windows. But in my opinion the best bit is the Collezione Grassi on the second floor, where you can enjoy some superb paintings, mainly by the Impressionists and their equivalents in Italy, in smallish rooms with creaking floorboards, low ceilings and good lighting. Corot, Cezanne, Sisley, Gauguin, Ensor, Morisot, all the better because they are not the most famous works.

For something more contemporary, there is the PAC gallery, on the right-hand side of the courtyard. For example, up until 7 June there is an exhibition on the history of Italian design, featuring photographs by Aldo Ballo and Marirosa Toscani Ballo.

And then of course there is the garden. The entrance is on the other side of the Villa with respect to PAC, through a gate on Via Palestro. The combination of mature trees and their tints of green contrasting with the pale Neoclassical Villa is an amazing sight, and the grounds, though small, has some paths that provide ever-changing vistas, with a little circular tempietto, and a number of well-fed and apparently very sleepy ducks.

Villa Reale was chosen as the location for the British Design Embassy during the Furniture Show last month. This event was designed to highlight the variety and significance of British design, providing a location at which the world’s design community could meet, and it presented the multimedia project “Love and Money, 50 years of creative Britain” which, after its launch in Milan, will tour the world. The Design Embassy was curated by fashion designer Paul Smith who, introduced by British Consul Laurence Bristow-Smith, spoke about the event, and his work in general, at the inauguration on 23 April. In the capital of high-powered street-chic fashion and design, his words were refreshingly direct and ironic. He spoke while sitting on one of his settees, an example of his technique of taking a classical piece of furniture, and re-upholstering it with his own printed flower-motif fabric. “I liked the idea of giving this Gothic furniture a new lease of life,” he said, “and at least it’s cheerful.”

Paul Smith noted the venue's anglo connections. “My flowers go really well with the beautiful park outside. Entrance to the park is reserved for children; adults have to be accompanied by kids! It's a lovely idea. And it's landscaped, so it has a very English feel. I liked the idea of having the flowers inside, and the park outside...”

Paul Smith spoke briefly about his work. “Actually my day job is designing clothes. My basic concept is giving classic garments a humorous twist. Such as this shirt, really a fairly ordinary shirt, except that it has buttons in three different colours. I want to combat boredom, in terms of both the garments and the stores. I make sure that each store is totally different from all the others.”

His comments on the recession provoked reflection. “I’ve lived through several recessions, though none as bad as this. It’s a real opportunity to move forwards. Design and creativity represent the key in hard times. Another important factor is effort. Effort is free of charge. I started in a tiny shop space with a capital of £600. I have never borrowed any money ever. Money doesn’t bring you health or happiness.”

The show cost effort, on the part of the Consulate, to get the venue, and Paul Smith himself had a job to install his furniture. “The director of the museum was horrified by my request to take their curtains down so that I could put up mine in their place. But now they want to keep them!”

Whether or not the museum will still be decked with Paul Smith’s flowerprint curtains or the original Neoclassical ones by the time you read this, it’s one of Milan’s hidden gems, and according to the municipal website, it’s still free. Though you may have to bribe your kids to get them to take you into the garden…

Henry Neuteboom