The Tenth Archipelago Tray, Gary Hume for Giobagnara Art Edition, 2026

After more than twenty-five years of exploring the language of leather in furniture and home accessories, Giobagnara enters a new phase of its evolution with the launch of Giobagnara Art Edition, a project that marks the maison's entry into the world of collectible art editions.

Presented in a world premiere during Fuorisalone 2026 at Via della Spiga 33 in Milan, Art Edition represents a strategic milestone for the group led by Giorgio and Vanessa Bagnara: no longer solely a producer of luxury and design objects, but also an art publisher, capable of translating artists' visions into three-dimensional works through its exceptional craftsmanship.

Founded in Genoa in 1999 by Giorgio Bagnara, building on a family tradition of luxury craftsmanship dating back to 1939, Giobagnara was the first company to introduce leather into the world of contemporary interior design, transforming a material historically associated with fashion and saddlery into a defining element of the home environment.

Over the course of more than two decades, the maison has developed a distinctive design language centered on leather craftsmanship and its combination with noble materials. With all production carried out in Italy, Giobagnara has become a reference point for an international clientele that includes collectors, architects, interior designers, and professionals in the hospitality, yachting, and private aviation sectors. Today, Giobagnara leads a group that also includes Riviere, Rabitti1969, RUDI, and Pigment France, with a catalog of more than 5,000 products and over 400 leather finishes.

Giorgio Bagnara, Founder and CEO of the Giobagnara Group, commented: "There is a building in Genoa. Designed by Gino Coppedè, a man who believed that styles were meant to converse, not remain separate. That building is our headquarters. I did not choose it by chance.

When I founded Giobagnara in the late 1990s, I chose leather as my starting point. Not because it was fashionable, but because I saw something others had not yet seen: a material almost exclusively associated with fashion and saddlery, waiting to be translated into the language of the home. Looking back, it was a pioneering act. At the time, it simply felt like the most honest thing to do. Giobagnara Art Edition is our next chapter. We do not produce objects that resemble art. We work directly with artists, acting as their publisher and translating their works into objects through the medium of leather marquetry. Each piece bears the full artistic signature of its creator. Every work is produced in numbered and signed editions of up to twelve pieces. This marks the beginning of a new direction for Giobagnara. And I mean that very deliberately."

FROM DESIGN TO ART EDITION

The evolution into the world of art has its roots in the path Giobagnara began in 2017 with Giobagnara Design Edition, a platform created to collaborate with some of the most compelling international designers, including Stéphane Parmentier, Francesco Balzano, and Glenn Sestig.

That experience marked the first step toward a more author-driven approach to product design, laying the groundwork for a project that now takes the maison beyond design and into direct dialogue with the world of contemporary art.

With Art Edition, Giobagnara takes on a new cultural role. As Giorgio Bagnara explains, "it is the work of an art gallery," where craftsmanship becomes an editorial tool, transforming artists' works into functional art pieces through the maison's artisanal expertise.

The result is a collection of limited editions that exists at the intersection of applied art, collectible design, and exceptional craftsmanship.

TWO ARTISTS INAUGURATE THE PROJECT: GARY HUME AND MARTINO GAMPER

The inaugural Giobagnara Art Edition collection was developed with the involvement of Nick Vinson, Wallpaper* contributing editor and creative director, who identified Gary Hume and Martino Gamper as the ideal artists to launch the project.
 

Both internationally acclaimed creative figures, Hume and Gamper, share a deep exploration of color while working through radically different artistic languages. Through Giobagnara's craftsmanship, they have found a new medium for expression.

Their works have been reinterpreted through leather marquetry-the maison's signature technique-resulting in a series of numbered and signed pieces, including: screens, chests of drawers, bar cabinets, wall panels, mirrors, umbrella stands, boxes, vases, and trays conceived as true collector's objects.

Each work is produced in a limited edition of no more than twelve pieces, individually numbered and signed by the artist.

GARY HUME: PAINTING TRANSLATED INTO LEATHER AND ALUMINUM 

The project developed with Gary Hume is based on translating the color fields found in a selection of paintings by the British artist created between 1999 and 2020.

These painted surfaces are reinterpreted through leather marquetry using calfskin nappa and suede, applied not only to leather but also to aluminum panels worked in low relief. Developed specifically for this project, the technique references the aluminum surfaces that Hume has long used in his artistic practice.

What makes the result particularly remarkable is the complexity of the craftsmanship: the metal is carved with exceptional precision so that the leather inserts can be set perfectly flush with the surface, creating an unprecedented continuity of material and form.

Nick Vinson explains: "I have always been obsessed with pietra dura, the Renaissance technique of stone inlay, as well as wood and leather marquetry. Giobagnara has the culture and expertise to execute it in nappa, suede, and calfskin, and when Giorgio Bagnara and I began discussing what to do next, we both instinctively knew this was the right direction."
 

He continues: "Gary was the obvious choice as the artist, and together we selected around fourteen of his paintings, spanning from 1999 to 2020, to develop into objects of extraordinary beauty. Hume paints on aluminum, so it felt natural to create an aluminum-and-leather marquetry technique-something that had never been done before. It requires the metal base to be carved with extreme precision before the nappa or suede elements are inserted completely flush with the surface. They are cabinets, vases, boxes, trays, and screens-but they are also, in every sense, works of art."

A NEW ROLE FOR ITALIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP

With Art Edition, Giobagnara redefines the scope of its practice and offers a reflection on the contemporary role of exceptional craftsmanship. Manufacturing is no longer simply a means of production; it becomes a cultural platform capable of identifying creative visions, developing projects, and giving form to works where art and design converge.

This new chapter for the Genoa-based maison reaffirms the central role of contemporary Italian savoir-faire as a bridge between artistic creation and production excellence.

THE COLLECTION

01 - Vases - American Tan IV, VII, XXIII

Gary Hume for Giobagnara Art Edition, 2026

From the works American Tan IV, VII, XXIII (2006-07)

Three works from the American Tan series, presented by White Cube in London in 2007. The series belongs to a period in which Hume developed a critique of American culture through the iconography of the cheerleader, reduced to pure fields of flat color. American Tan IV (Charcoal) is the only work in the series to incorporate charcoal and chalk, creating a tension between graphic mark-making and the industrial surface. The three palettes-golden yellow, antique beige, dark brown, and powder pink-are reinterpreted in the Giobagnara vases as tactile suede textures set into low-relief aluminum.

Calfskin Suede, Aluminum, and Extra-Clear Transparent Borosilicate Glass

Leather marquetry - suede inlaid into low-relief aluminum

Ø 7.9 in ' H 23.6 in - available in three color variations

Limited edition of 12 pieces, individually numbered and signed by the artist

02 - Side Table - American Tan XII

American Tan XII Side Table Gary Hume for Giobagnara Art Edition, 2026

From the work: American Tan XII (2006-07)

From the American Tan series (White Cube, London, 2007). American Tan XII belongs to the central body of the series, marking the point at which Hume achieved the greatest chromatic intensity within the cycle. The distinctive feature of this piece in the Giobagnara edition is its dual nature: the pouf develops the same painted composition across two distinct faces, Side 1 and Side 2, rendered in different leather combinations, with gold and teal on the front and gray and teal on the reverse. This principle is inherent to Hume's artistic practice, where glossy surfaces shift with light and viewing angle, allowing each work to appear subtly different from one moment to the next.

Calfskin Nappa and Aluminum

Leather marquetry - Nappa leather inlaid into low-relief aluminum

15.7 × 15.7 in ' H 21.1 in (aluminum base: H 1.4 in; pouf: H 19.7 in)

Limited edition of 12 pieces, individually numbered and signed by the artist

03a - Cabinet American Tan XXV - Cabinet N°1

Cabinet American Tan XXV Gary Hume for Giobagnara Art Edition, 2026

From the work: American Tan XXV (2006-07)

From the American Tan series (White Cube, London, 2007). American Tan XXV belongs to the most advanced phase of the series, with its Roman numeral marking Hume's progression toward increasingly dense and complex chromatic compositions. Among the most intricate works in the cycle, the image layers fields of white, pink, olive green, yellow, black, and turquoise, challenging the distinction between figure and ground. Reinterpreted on the cabinet door in calfskin nappa, the composition acquires a new material presence that engages with the tactile qualities of leather, a medium Hume has never used in his own practice, which Giobagnara introduces as an unprecedented point of connection between painting and craftsmanship.

Leather marquetry - Nappa leather inlaid into aluminum

25.6 × 19.7 in ' H 66.9 in

Limited edition of 12 pieces, individually numbered and signed by the artist

05c - Box - Maw · Night Watch · The Cleric
Box Maw · Box Night Watch · Box The Cleric Gary Hume for Giobagnara Art Edition, 2026

From the works: Maw (2013) · Night Watch (2013) · The Cleric (2000)
 

Three works from distinct periods that encapsulate Hume's ability to move between markedly different emotional registers. Maw and Night Watch (2013) belong to the phase following his exhibition at Tate Britain, when Hume began exploring themes of faces and masks in greater depth. Maw-a reference to a gaping throat-and Night Watch, an abstract reinterpretation of the famous work by Rembrandt van Rijn, reflect a period of increased gravity within the artist's practice. The Cleric (2000) is contemporary with Belarus, sharing the same gloss-on-aluminum technique while evoking a religious figure that dissolves into abstraction. Across the three box sizes, the works create a progression of diminishing intensity, moving from the darkest composition to the most luminous.

Calfskin Nappa and Aluminum

Leather marquetry - Nappa leather inlaid into low-relief aluminum

Small: 7.1 × 9.4 × H 2.4 in - Medium: 9.4 × 12.6 × H 3.1 in - Large: 11.8 × 15.7 × H 3.9 in

Limited edition of 12 pieces, individually numbered and signed by the artist

06 - Trays - Archipelago · Life Jacket · The Tenth Archipelago
Tray Archipelago 4 · Tray Life Jacket · Tray The Tenth Archipelago Gary Hume for Giobagnara Art Edition, 2026

From the works: Archipelago 4 (2020) · Life Jacket (2018) · The Tenth Archipelago (2020)

These three works belong to the most overtly political period of Hume's practice, shaped by the migration crises in the Mediterranean and the English Channel. Life Jacket (2018, gloss on paper) serves as the catalyst for the series: Hume adopts the life jacket as a dual symbol-an object of survival and, through its open-necked form, a reference to the yoni, the Hindu symbol of feminine creative energy. Archipelago 4 and The Tenth Archipelago (2020) belong to the series inspired by John Donne's poem No Man Is an Island, presented at Sprüth Magers London from October to December 2020. In the Giobagnara trays, these compositions are translated into fields of suede contrasted with aluminum, featuring Bordeaux A17, Nude A91, and a custom Jellyfish finish.

Calfskin Suede and Aluminum

Leather marquetry - suede inlaid into low-relief aluminum

Small: 9.8 × 13.8 × H 0.6 in - Medium: 12.8 × 17.7 × H 0.6 in - Large: 15.7 × 21.7 × H 0.6 in

Limited edition of 12 pieces, individually numbered and signed by the artist

A Return in Images
World Premiere: Gary Hume, an Exhibition by Nick Vinson

Fuorisalone 2026

Gary Hume, Vanessa Bagnara & Martino Gamper 

About Giobagnara
 

Founded in Genoa in the late 1990s by Giorgio and Vanessa Bagnara, Giobagnara is the maison that pioneered the introduction of leather into the world of interior decoration at a time when the material was still almost exclusively associated with fashion and saddlery. Over the past two decades, the Bagnara family has developed a distinctive design vocabulary, applying artisanal savoir-faire to everyday objects and combining exceptional leathers with noble materials in an almost limitless palette of colors and finishes. Every piece is conceived, developed, and crafted entirely in Italy. Giobagnara serves a highly discerning international clientele, including private collectors, architects, and interior designers, as well as professionals in the hospitality, yachting, and private aviation sectors, and works with a global network of premier retail partners. The maison continues to expand its international presence through a network of monobrand boutiques and shop-in-shops in strategic destinations worldwide, anchored by its flagship store in Venice's Piazza San Marco.
 

About Gary Hume
 

Gary Hume (b. 1962, Tenterden, Kent) graduated from Goldsmiths College, London, in 1988. A central figure among the Young British Artists, his work combines modernist abstraction with a direct and immediate visual language, created through the use of high-gloss industrial paints on aluminum panels. Hume represented Great Britain at the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999, was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1996, and became a Royal Academician in 2001. He is represented by Sprüth Magers and Matthew Marks Gallery.
 

About Martino Gamper
 

Martino Gamper (b. 1971, Merano) lives and works in London. Trained as a cabinetmaker, he studied sculpture under Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna before earning a Master's degree from the Royal College of Art in London in 2000. In 2023, he was awarded an OBE for services to design. His work has been exhibited at leading international institutions, including the Serpentine Gallery, Palais de Tokyo, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Castello di Rivoli.
 

About Nick Vinson
 

Nick Vinson has served as an associate editor of Wallpaper* since 2003. He is also the founder of Vinson&Co, a London-based studio specializing in creative direction and interior design projects for the luxury sector. His practice spans editorial projects, interior design, and curatorial work, including the interiors of the Italian Embassy in London. During Fuorisalone 2025, he curated Giobagnara's first presentation at Via della Spiga 33, comprising fourteen vignettes that brought Giorgio Bagnara's private art collection into dialogue with the maison's creations within a widely acclaimed installation. In 2026, he was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of the Italian Republic.