Journal
Elsa Peretti and THE SEA
“My relationship with the sea is total. As a little girl, I searched for beautiful shells on the beach. At that time, beaches were more generous, no plastic, just polished glasses and small shells. What instilled my profound respect for the ocean was to dive deep into it, to feel myself inside it and at the same time under it. Like an intruder, conscious of every movement of my breathing as the oxygen from the tanks filled my lungs, I watched my friends fishing, fascinated by the things I saw. The fleeting, short-lived miracle never ceased to amaze me. And now I pay homage to those hours beneath the waves by recording some of them in my small portraits.” Elsa Peretti, Fifteen of my Fifty with Tiffany & Co. exhibition catalogue, F.I.T., New York 1990.
Elsa admiring the Mediterranean Sea from Torre Avvoltore in Porto Ercole, Tuscany.
Photo by Claudia Ferri, Torre Avvoltore Porto Ercole
The Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation which has always been deeply committed to environmental issues and wildlife conservation, supported in the years many non-profit organizations to protected the marine ecosystem. Marevivo Onlus is one of them, the organization protects the sea and its resources from over 35 years, focusing on biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, enhancement and promotion of marine protected areas, pollution and illegal fishing, in addition to promoting educational programs in schools and universities.
“Thanks to the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation for believing in us and supporting the environmental cause with your generosity and passion. Marevivo Onlus will always be grateful to you!”
Currently the respect for the sea and its environment has driven the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation to partnered once again with Flora and Fauna International. Since 2001, the NaEPF has worked with Flora & Fauna on several projects, and in 2023 the NaEPF renewed its support for the organisation with a grant of over EUR 3 million that fund six projects to preserve the environment and biodiversity worldwide. In particular, two projects focus on the marine ecosystem: Building marine resilience in Honduras’ Atlántida Seascape and Strengthening small-scale fisheries management in Marine Protected Areas in Aceh, Indonesia.The efforts in Honduras are centered to preserve the local marine biodiversity in addition to enhance collaborative governance networks of relevant stakeholders.
“We come from the ocean.”
Photo by Claudia Ferri, Torre Avvoltore Porto Ercole
Elsa Peretti and Japan
“The impact I felt on my first trip to Japan in 1969 was the speed and technology of a train from Tokyo to Kyoto and the exquisite craftsmanship of the things I saw. With Yasuyoshi Morimoto’s help and patience, like a capricious child I managed to persuade the best craftsmen to manufacture some of my forms” Elsa Peretti, Fifteen of my Fifty with Tiffany & Co. exhibition catalogue, F.I.T., New York 1990.
Photo by Claudia Ferri, San Marti Vell Archives featuring photographs by Paco Rebes
For Elsa Peretti, travel was important for the mind; it awakened her innate curiosity, nourished her soul, and inspired her creations. In 1969, she visited Japan for the first time: “The beauty of the country, the way they do things, even the way they serve food… Yes, Japan is inspiring,” she later told to Palmer Beach Magazine. In Japan, Elsa Peretti lived in the spirit of the moment, “ichigo ichie” as the Japanese culture and tea masters describe it, treasuring every single thing she saw and experienced, from the moon reflected in a sake cup to the speed and technology of the train that took her from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Photo Claudia Ferri, San Marti Vell Archives
Letter by Mr. Shimofuri to Elsa Peretti, 1990
“Madame Peretti, A golden carp, swam against the muddy torrent a thousand miles upstream, met the barrier of a waterfall, struggled, and suddenly leap clear, transformed into a shining dragon to fly free into the translucent air.”
On the 23rd April, 1990 Elsa received by fax this beautiful poem sent to her by Mr Shimofuri, the Japanese craftsman doing her lacquer work for Tiffany & Co. That same day her very first retrospective “Fifteen of my Fifty with Tiffany” debuted at the F.I.T. New York.
Fifteen of my Fifty with Tiffany, 1990
Photo by Claudia Ferri, San Marti Vell Archives
Japan Emergency: support for the victims of the Japan earthquake, 2011
Elsa Peretti’s deep affection for Japan prompted her to help during the 2011 natural disaster through the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation. On March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful in the nation’s recorded history. The seismic event triggered devastating tsunamis, unleashing 30-foot waves that obliterated rice fields, wiped out towns, and wreaked havoc on the landscape, tossing cars and boats as if they were mere toys.
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