SKERL, Boris.

£25,000 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Album amicorum. A remarkable personal album of over 150 signatures gathered by Boris Skerl, who, as director of three of Italy's most prestigious luxury hotels, had unique access to a galaxy of musicians, writers, politicians, royalty, and Hollywood stars.One page is representative of the book's extraordinary scope, three towering figures from entirely different worlds rubbing shoulders in the same space: Walt Disney, Montgomery of Alamein, and Le Corbusier.From around 1906, Skerl worked as director of the hotels Excelsior in Florence, the Danieli in Venice, and the Des Iles Borromées in Stresa. He was highly regarded by his international clientele and known affectionately as "il commendatore". In a number of photographs, Skerl is featured posing with his guests. To complement their signatures, photos, and postcards, Skerl preserved newspapers and journal clippings relating to them, often highlighting major historical events. Over 40 musicians are represented, a number adding a musical quotation. Composers include Puccini (signed photograph), Richard Strauss (signed photograph and musical quotation), Stravinsky (musical quotation), Mascagni, Franz Lehar, Gian Francesco Malipiero, and Umberto Giordano. Among the conductors are Wilhelm Furtwängler, Leopold Stokowski (signed photo and dedication), Herbert von Karajan, Arturo Toscanini (signed photograph), Sergiu Celibidache, Igor Markevitch, Victor de Sabata, Dimitri Mitropulos, and Tullio Serafin. Instrumentalists and singers c

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