Marella Agnelli (; born
Donna
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
*Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...
Marella Caracciolo dei Principi di Castagneto ; 4 May 1927 – 23 February 2019)
['']Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...
''. Gotha: Justus Perthes
Johann Georg Justus Perthes (11 September 1749, Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – 2 May 1816, Gotha, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg) was a German publisher and founder of the publishing house that bears his name. Life
He was born in the Thuringian to ...
. 1942. pp. 398–399. was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
noblewoman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
,
art collector
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...
,
socialite
A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...
, style icon and wife of
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
chairman
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
. She often appeared in the fashion magazine ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
.'' She was named to the
International Best Dressed List
The International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time. The American magazine '' Vanity Fair'' is currently in charge of the List af ...
Hall of Fame in 1963.
Background
''Donna'' Marella
Caracciolo Caracciolo () is an Italian surname most associated with the noble House of Carácciolo from the Kingdom of Naples.
Other people with the name include:
* Alberto Caracciolo, Argentinian musician
* Andrea Caracciolo, Italian footballer
* Battiste ...
dei Principi di Castagneto was born in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, as member of the
House of Caracciolo
The House of Caracciolo () is a prominent aristocratic family from the city of Naples. The Caracciolo are considered one of the most important families in the history of the Kingdom of Naples, holding relevant posts in the Spanish Empire as well.
...
, of the high
Italian nobility
The nobility of Italy (Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the k ...
. Her father was ''Don'' Filippo Caracciolo, 8th Prince di Castagneto, 3rd Duke di Melito, and hereditary
Patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
of Naples (1903–1965), from an old
Neapolitan
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
Geography and history
* Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city
* Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...
noble family. Her mother was the former Margaret Clarke (1898–1955) of
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...
. She had two brothers, ''Don''
Carlo Caracciolo ''Don'' Carlo Caracciolo, 9th Prince of Castagneto, 4th Duke of Melito (Florence, 23 October 1925 – Rome, 15 December 2018) was an Italian publisher. He created Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, one of Italy's leading publishing groups. He was known a ...
(1925–2008), who inherited their father's titles in 1965 and founded the newspaper ''
La Repubblica
''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnoldo ...
,'' being known as the "editor prince", referring to his aristocratic birth and elegant manner; and ''Don'' Nicola Caracciolo (born 1931), the holder since 2008 of the titles, as 10th Prince di Castagneto, 5th Duke di Melito, and hereditary Patrician of Naples.
Family
![Marella and Gianni Agnelli 1966](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Marella_and_Gianni_Agnelli_1966.jpg)
She was married in
Osthoffen
Osthoffen (; german: Osthofen; gsw-FR, Oschthoffe) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
See also
* Communes of the Bas-Rhin department
The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin d ...
to
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
tycoon
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
on 19 November 1953; they would remain married until his death on 24 January 2003. They had two children:
*
Edoardo Agnelli
Edoardo Agnelli (9 June 1954 – 15 November 2000) was the eldest child and only son of Gianni Agnelli, the industrialist patriarch of Fiat and of Marella Agnelli (born Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto). He converted to Islam when he was l ...
(9 July 1954 15 November 2000)
*Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen (born 26 October 1955); married first in 1975 (divorcing in 1981) to
Alain Elkann
Alain Elkann (born March 23, 1950) is an Italian novelist, journalist. Currently, Elkann is the conductor of cultural programs on Italian television. He is president of the Scientific Committee of the Italy–USA Foundation. A recurring theme in ...
(born 23 March 1950) and second in 1991 to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Sergei de Pahlen (born in 1944)
**
John Philip Jacob Elkann (born 1 April 1976), married on 4 September 2004 Italian noblewoman ''
Donna
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
*Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...
'' Lavinia Ida
Borromeo Borromeo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* House of Borromeo, an aristocratic family in Milan
Members of the House of Borromeo
* Andrea Borromeo (c. 1615 – 1683), Theatine priest
* Charles Borromeo (1538 – 1584), cardina ...
Arese Taverna (born 10 March 1977)
***Leone Mosé Elkann (born 27 August 2006)
***Oceano Noah Elkann (born 11 November 2007)
***Vita Talita Elkann (born 23 January 2012)
**
Lapo Eduard Elkann (born 7 October 1977), married on 7 October 2021 to Portuguese rally racer
Joana Lemos (born 24 April 1973)
**
Ginevra Elkann
Ginevra Elkann (born 24 September 1979) is a London-born Italian film producer and director. She is a member of the Agnelli family and granddaughter of Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli.
Early life
Elkann was born in London, (born 24 September 1979), married on 25 April 2009 Italian
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
''Don'' Giovanni
Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona (born 2 May 1973)
***''Don'' Giacomo Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona (born 15 August 2009)
***''Don'' Pietro Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona (born 31 October 2012)
***''Donna'' Marella Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona (born 27 May 2014)
**Countess Maria de Pahlen (born in 1983)
**Count Pierre de Pahlen (born in 1986)
**Countess Sophie de Pahlen (born in 1988)
**Countess Anna de Pahlen (born in 1988)
**Countess Tatiana de Pahlen (born in 1990)
Career
Agnelli, who was educated in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, was an assistant to
Erwin Blumenfeld
Erwin Blumenfeld (26 January 1897 – 4 July 1969) was an American photographer of German origin. He was born in Berlin, and in 1941 emigrated to the United States, where he soon became a successful and well-paid fashion photographer, working a ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
(living on Park Avenue on the
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
)
early in her varied career, as well as an occasional editor and photographic contributor to Vogue. In 1973, she created a textile line for Abraham-Zumsteg, for which she was awarded the Resources Council's Roscoe (the design trade's equivalent of the Oscar) in 1977.
An avid gardener, Agnelli authored a number of books on the subject, also providing many of the photographs. Two of her books are about the
Garden of Ninfa
The Garden of Ninfa is a garden in the territory of Cisterna di Latina, in the province of Latina, central Italy. The park has an area of , and is an Italian natural monument. The landscape garden within the park comprises and contains medieval ...
(1999) and The Agnelli Gardens at
Villar Perosa
Villar Perosa (Occitan ''Lhi Vialars''; French: ''Grand-Villars'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin.
Villar Perosa borders the following municipalit ...
(1998).
More recently, she oversaw the opening of the
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (20 ...
-designed art gallery
Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli
The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli is an art gallery in Turin, Italy. It opened in 2002 on the top floor of the Lingotto complex (the headquarters of the Italian auto giant Fiat founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli), where a "scrigno" or 450 ...
, built on the roof of the former
Lingotto
Lingotto is the name of a district of Turin, Italy, as well as the name of the Lingotto building in Via Nizza. It once housed a car factory built by Italian automotive company Fiat and today houses the administrative headquarters of the manufact ...
Fiat factory in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, Italy. The Agnelli collection includes
Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
,
Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...
,
Canaletto
Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
Painter of city views or ...
,
Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...
and
Canova
Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cl ...
masterpieces.
The Swans
The reserved, patrician tastemaker and socialite was also known for her inclusion in
Truman Capote
Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...
's circle of "swans" wealthy, stylish, and well-married women friends whose company he adored because they "had created themselves, as he had done", and "had stories to tell" According to Capote, Agnelli was "the European swan numero uno", one of the youngest in a group which included
Babe Paley
Barbara "Babe" Cushing Mortimer Paley (July 5, 1915 – July 6, 1978) was an American socialite, whose second husband William S. Paley was the founder of CBS. Known by the nickname "Babe" for most of her life, she was named to the International ...
,
Gloria Guinness
Gloria Guinness previously Gloria von Fürstenberg, née Rubio y Alatorre (27 August 1912 – 9 November 1980) was a Mexican socialite and fashion and cultural icon, as well as a contributing editor to ''Harper's Bazaar'' from 1963 to 1971, con ...
,
C. Z. Guest
Lucy Douglas "C. Z." Guest (''née'' Cochrane; February 19, 1920 – November 8, 2003) was an American stage actress, author, columnist, horsewoman, fashion designer, and socialite who achieved a degree of fame as a fashion icon. She was fre ...
,
Slim Keith
Nancy "Slim" Keith, Lady Keith (born Mary Raye Gross; July 15, 1917 – April 6, 1990) was an American socialite and fashion icon during the 1950s and 1960s, exemplifying the American jet set.
She and her friend Babe Paley were the thinly veiled ...
,
Pamela Harriman
Pamela Beryl Harriman (''née'' Digby; 20 March 1920 – 5 February 1997), also known as Pamela Churchill Harriman, was an English-born American political activist for the Democratic Party, diplomat, and socialite. She married three times, ...
,
Lee Radziwill
Caroline Lee Bouvier ( ), later Canfield, Radziwiłł (), and Ross (March 3, 1933 – February 15, 2019), usually known as Princess Lee Radziwill, was an American socialite, public-relations executive, and interior decorator. She was the y ...
and
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...
. In her autobiography, ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' publisher and Capote friend
Katharine Graham
Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...
recounted that the author once told her that if Paley and Agnelli were "both in
Tiffany's
Tiffany & Co. (colloquially known as Tiffany's) is a high-end luxury jewelry and specialty retailer, headquartered on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It sells jewelry, sterling silver, porcelain, crystal, stationery, fragrances, water bottles, watc ...
window, Marella would be more expensive" (Personal History, p. 393).
She was portrayed in the American biographical film ''
Infamous
Infamous may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* ''Infamous'' (2006 film), an American drama film
* ''Infamous'' (2020 film), an American crime thriller film
* "Infamous", an episode of ''Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinj ...
'' (2006) by
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted ...
.
Death
Agnelli died, aged 91, on 23 February 2019 at her home in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, Italy.
Honours
![Grande ufficiale OMRI BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Grande_ufficiale_OMRI_BAR.svg)
–
Grand Officer Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: Awarded the third-highest civil honour in Italy, by President
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006.
Biography Education
Ciampi was born i ...
on 13 September 2000.
Ancestry
Works (partial)
* Agnelli, Marella (2015). ''La Signora Gocà''. Milano:
Piccola Biblioteca Adelphi. .
* Agnelli, Marella; Caracciolo Chia, Marella (2014). ''Marella Agnelli The Last Swan''. New York City:
Rizzoli. .
* Agnelli, Marella; Caracciolo, Marella; Pejrone, Paolo (1998). ''The Agnelli Gardens at Villar Perosa Two Centuries of a Family Retreat''. New York City:
Harry Abrams
Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery.
The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...
. .
* Agnelli, Marella; Pietromarchi, Luca; Bright, Robert Emmett; Forquet, Federico (1987). ''Gardens of the Italian Villas''. New York City:
Rizzoli. .
Notes
Further reading
* Ferrante, Marco (2007). ''Casa Agnelli''.
Mondadori
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy.
History
The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 1 ...
. .
*
Friedman, Alan (1988). ''Agnelli and the Network of Italian Power''. London: Mandarin Paperback (
Octopus Publishing Group
An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefis ...
). .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnelli, Marella
1927 births
2019 deaths
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century art collectors
20th-century Italian writers
20th-century Italian women writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century art collectors
21st-century Italian writers
21st-century Italian women writers
Marella Marrella may refer to:
* ''Marrella'', an ancient arthropod
* Fabrizio Marrella, a professor of international law
Marela may refer to:
* Marela (town), a town and sub-prefecture in Guinea
* ''Marela'' (butterfly), a genus of butterflies of the ...
American art collectors
American autobiographers
American garden writers
American landscape and garden designers
American socialites
American textile designers
American women photographers
Artists from New York City
Deaths from Parkinson's disease
Neurological disease deaths in Piedmont
Grand Officers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Marella Marrella may refer to:
* ''Marrella'', an ancient arthropod
* Fabrizio Marrella, a professor of international law
Marela may refer to:
* Marela (town), a town and sub-prefecture in Guinea
* ''Marela'' (butterfly), a genus of butterflies of the ...
Italian art collectors
Women art collectors
Italian autobiographers
Italian designers
Italian emigrants to the United States
Italian people of American descent
Italian photographers
Italian princesses
Italian socialites
Nobility from Florence
People from the Upper East Side
Photographers from New York (state)
Women autobiographers
Writers from Manhattan
20th-century American women artists
21st-century American women artists