By Valentina Za
MILAN (Reuters) -Two elephant tusks, Japanese folding screens, a bronze bear and a portrait by American artist Andy Warhol are some of the more singular possessions bequeathed by late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani in his will.
Armani’s will, which was reviewed by Reuters on Friday, outlines the future of the luxury empire he founded and divides the billionaire’s many homes among his heirs. It also shares out the eclectic contents of his residence in the centre of Milan.
Armani died on September 4 aged 91 after a five-decade career that made his brand synonymous with timeless elegance.
His many properties in glamorous locations around the world regularly featured in home design magazines, and in 2000 he launched his minimalist aesthetic Armani/Casa interiors brand.
The designer left the portrait of himself by Andy Warhol to his closest aide and partner Pantaleo (Leo) Dell’Orco, who also inherited his home on the French Riviera, a Provence-style villa with a pool nestled in the hills of Saint-Tropez.
Dell’Orco was also granted the right to use Armani’s house in Antigua, another in the countryside near his birthplace of Piacenza and his beloved summer retreat, an extensive property on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria.
The Pantelleria home is made up of seven “dammusi”, traditional rural buildings built from white lava stone with a domed roof and surrounded by more than 150 palm trees.
The residences in Pantelleria, Antigua and Piacenza are owned by a real estate company which Armani left to his sister Rosanna, his niece Silvana and his nephew Andrea Camerana, together with an apartment in New York, while another apartment there also went to Dell’Orco.
To his sister, Armani left an apartment in Paris, a painting by Henri Matisse, the elephant tusks, and a table by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass with three green chairs.
Another niece, Roberta, can request to use the various houses.
Armani’s right-hand man has lifelong rights to use the main Armani residency in Milan, and a house in St. Moritz that will be owned by Camerana, the will showed.
Dell’Orco also became the owner of multiple sofas, armchairs, shelves and Japanese rugs. The long list of decorative items includes a desk and table by French interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, a bronze bear, bronze panther and other metal casting animals, including a crab.
Dell’Orco and Michele Morselli, the head of Armani’s real estate firm, inherited his vintage cars, which they have permission to sell. Morselli was also bequeathed a Z-shaped table and an orange pony skin armchair.
(Reporting by Valentina Za;Editing by Adam Jourdan and Helen Popper)
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