BRILLIANT: THE PRADA FOUNDATION DEBUTING THE PRADA MUSEUM

artists flank muiccia prada, who is seated. peep her husband, standing on the left. his name is patrizio bertelli. (newyorktimes.com)

prada on the cover of the times' magazine. artists francesco vezzoli stands on the left and john baldessari on the right. (newyortimes.com)

italy - muiccia prada's love affair with art is legendary. she's regarded as a patron of the arts and commonly commissions work from young, contemporary artists. her clothes themselves blur the line between art and fashion and for this reason the prada label is nothing less than a wardrobe for those in artistic circles. now, she's taking that love affair a step further by planning a full fledged museum in the south of italy. the new york times magazine reported this past weekend that the prada foundation has purchased a huge space which will be designed by rem koolhaas (he designs all the prada stores). the space will showcase an eclectic mix of commissioned art work, past prada collections and will be regarded as a "cultural center" for the area. look for it to be completed by 2012.