A deluxe volume for an iconic artist

Singer-songwriter and producer. Well-known face of the screen. Performer and transformer, always himself and never the same. Achille Lauro is the most eccentric and nonconformist artist on the contemporary music scene, but he is also a living work of art. His looks have made him a style icon, a manifesto of a new fluid and glossy aesthetic, full of references ranging from Christian iconography to contemporary art. Her shows are true performances, visual masterpieces designed to convey messages of freedom, rebellion and rupture, but also to be, quite simply, spectacular.

To celebrate such an eclectic figure, we have designed and produced, in close collaboration with the artist, an out-of-the-ordinary book, the first anthology entirely dedicated to him. Featuring a large format and refined finishes-inspired by the artist’s looks-the book includes images from his personal archive, never-before-seen shots taken by photographer Leandro Emede and backstage photographs, and is enriched by drawings specially made by Lauro himself. In addition to testimonials and anecdotes told by figures close to the artist, the book contains essays by fashion historian Matteo Guarnaccia, stylist Nick Cerioni, and music manager Angelo Calculli, who investigate what made the artist unique in the contemporary scene and trace his musical and aesthetic evolution.

The uniqueness of the volume emerges from a number of features such as the large format, velvet slipcase, scenic lenticular cover and the use of a specially designed font. A special limited edition of 115 copies numbered and autographed by the artist has also been designed and is available only upon request.

The Photo Book Experience

To launch this book-event, we created a three-stage program of initiatives at Mudec in Milan, titledAchilles Idol is Present. Photo Book Experience , an explicit homage to one of Marina Abramović’s most celebrated performances. A veritable wunderkammer of the artist’s work has been set up at Mudec, which can be visited free of charge from September 22 to October 10, 2021, with Gucci designer clothes and a series of objects displayed inside museum showcases to take the visitor inside her creative process: a journey among instruments, iconic clothes, memorabilia and diaries, and stage makeup. On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, the artist was present at Mudec to autograph copies of the volume and for a talk (broadcast live streamed on the website and Facebook page of “Il Sole 24 ORE”) in which Achille Lauro dialogued with several experts to reveal the behind-the-scenes of his main performances. It was a day that allowed fans to immerse themselves in the world of their idol with an event format that goes far beyond a traditional book presentation.