From the Editor CHRISTIAN SCHWALBACH A s 2020 draws towards a close, the new normal remains evershifting – not only in our businesses but also in our public spaces and our homes. And yet, this global embrace of adaptation, of making lemonade from the bitterest of lemons, is not entirely new: quick transitions and creative disruptions have always been key to the progress of history. In fact, it’s precisely this boundless, innovative spirit that has animated so many of the men and women we highlight in this edition of the magazine. Take Federico Forquet, for instance, who is the focus of our feature on page 68: at the age of 41 he found himself at the height of Italian haute couture, and he abruptly left it all behind, choosing home and garden design over the readyto-wear compromises offered by the shifting fashion world of the early 1970s. Major transitions were also part of the story for Danish couple Claus and Jeanette Thottrup, who went from a full-tilt life in London to the sleepy Tuscan countryside to open Borgo Santo Pietro (page 34) and also for Dany Bahar, whose multifarious career took him from inline skates to asset management before he landed at Red Bull, whose entry in Formula One he led, and now to coachbuilding (page 45), an industry he is trying to revive. Swiss-based Alexander Kuenzi demonstrates a different sort of pivot: a purveyor of ultra-luxe goods, he was on a trip to Australia to scout pearls when he instead discovered a type of caviar, which, as our article explains on page 76, he is now bringing to top kitchens around the globe. There are numerous other examples of wholesale transitions throughout the pages that follow – even our cover artist, Bosco Sodi, who’s profiled on page 48, took a wandering route to the art world via chemical engineering – and we hope that as you read you are able to find inspiration and perhaps some optimism as well. As always, our website, centurion-magazine.com, is the regularly updated hub for the latest news, and we encourage you to stay safe and consult the latest travel advice and authorities before starting your journeys. • Bosco’s Black Created with sawdust and paint, this issue’s cover is the work of Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, featured on page 66. Photograph by Rita Burmester 10 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM YOUR CODE FOR EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM: RL15CM
