Ahead of the curve
Enigmatic gallerist and curator Nina Yashar shares her world of design and reveals future plans for her iconic collectible design gallery, Nilufar in Milan
Founder of iconic Nilufar Gallery, Nina Yashar, shares her world of design and future plans for the gallery
oday I see a lot of people trying to do a lot of what I am doing, and this makes me happy because it means that it was right,” says Nina Yashar, founder of Milan’s trailblazing design gallery, Nilufar, which she established in 1979 in via Bigli in the centre of the city. She says this at first apologetically, wary of sounding arrogant, but also as someone who is calmly aware of her influence and proud of her accomplishments. In many ways, Yashar has always been ahead of her time and doesn’t shy away from the fact.
Born in Tehran in 1957 to Iranian parents, Yashar’s family moved to Milan when she was just five years old. Her father, being a successful rug dealer, was her portal into the world of carpets, which she delved into at the young age of 21, working for the family business. But quickly, the even-then assertive and passionate Yashar decided that she “disliked” her father’s taste and felt pulled to carve her own path. “I wanted to deal with only my own point of view,” she shares. With experience in displaying and curating carpets already under her belt, Yashar – with the help of her father – established her own gallery space. “It was immediately clear that I was surrounded by very important carpet dealers, who were all men,” Yashar recounts. “I was the only woman dealing with carpets at that time in Milan. So, I was obliged to build my credibility through my identity and not [by] following something that was already in the market.”
Her entrepreneurial spirit was visible even then. She decided that the only way to contend with her extremely reputable competition was to move in a different direction and showcase themes that weren’t well known or popular. Nilufar Gallery soon launched a series of pioneering shows, bringing both Oriental and European carpets such as Kilim, Gabbeh and Aubusson into the Italian and later international spotlight. ‘The Rose on the Carpet’ exhibition was received with high acclaim, showcasing a study of the iconography of the rose motifs in rugs the world over.
“I can say that this exhibition was the forerunner that brought the fascination of the Kilim to Europe; at that time it was not very popular. And here, it wasn’t only my passion that guided me – but my intuition. My business model has always been to do something unexpected for people.”
It was while on a trip to Sweden that Yashar discovered design by chance, purchasing important pieces by the likes of Alvar Aalto and Hans Wagner. “In 1998, I created an exhibition along with a catalogue, titled ‘Swedish Rugs and Scandinavian Furniture’, and this was the first time that I decided to show design without knowing anything about it,” she laughs. “I just followed my intuition. And it has been the most important starting point in my business because now I deal 80 per cent in design.”
It was around this time, at the end of the nineties, that Yashar expanded the gallery’s headquarters by moving to a new space in via della Spiga, designed by GianCarlo Motebello. By then, Yashar had ventured into modern and contemporary furniture, showcasing the works of mid-century masters alongside unusual carpets, cutting-edge furniture and pieces by emerging designers. Nilufar Gallery quickly became a reference point, obtaining cult status in the world of design.
Throughout all this, a very vital aspect of all of Yashar’s work was – and remains – her deep dedication to research and her curiosity in discovering new directions. From the silicone carpets by Gaetano Pesce to the rediscovery of Paul Evans’ work and Martino Gamper’s re-appropriation of Gio Ponti’s furniture for the Parco dei Principi Hotel at the 2007 Design Miami/Basel fair, Nilufar Gallery contributed to the series of experimentations that was happening around design at the time, with Yashar at the forefront of propelling forward contemporary designers whose names we know today.