The Punta della Dogana, home of Murakami, Chapman, Franz West...
“Changing place, changing time, changing strengths, changing future” , reads a work by Mauricio Nanucci from 1939, which hangs from one of the openings of the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation in Venice; and it is true that when you change places, the perspective of time changes, your point of view and perhaps it can lead you to transform, along the way, your own future.
The city of Venice seems immutable , a treasure preserved over time that cannot change, however, in some of its palaces the current creation coexists with history quite naturally. Associate Venice with names like Tadao Ando Y Rem Koolhaas in the 21st century, or Peggy Guggenheim and Carlo Scarpa in the 20th century, may seem like a contradiction, but they changed the vision of the city , preserving its historic spaces and, at the same time, transforming its interior, turning them into examples of design and architecture.
Going to Venice also means being able to delve into the most alternative creation through some of its foundations:
PINAULT FOUNDATION Two magnificent palaces, the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana make up the Pinault Foundation in venice . François Pinault, who owns Christie's auction house and the PPR group - FNAC, Yves Saint Laurent or Balenciaga -, has a personal collection of more than 2,500 works of contemporary art. The last palace to open its doors was that of the Dogana , the Japanese architect Tadao Ando was the architect of the respectful remodeling of the interiors, praised by all the experts.
Among the works on display, passing through the curtain of glass beads Felix Gonzalez-Torres , we find the stuffed horse by Maurizio Cattelan, which gives way to another spectacular installation by Sigmar Polke, on the upper floor we can see the representation of the hells of the Chapmans, and portraits of Cindy Sherman . In addition, the two venues exhibit works by artists such as Richard Prince, Murakami, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Franz West, Rachel Whiteread or Fischli & Weiss.
Palazzo Grassi completes the Pinault foundation
PRADA FOUNDATION The brand of innovation in Italian fashion deploys all its experimental strength in its foundations, the one located in Milan, and this one that is located in the lavish ** Palace of the eighteenth century, Ca' corner della Regina ,** in Venice. It opened its doors in 2011 and within its walls there are no shortage of names from contemporary art such as Koons, Nauman, Bourgeois, Hirst, Fontana, among others.
The exhibition program shows a unique conceptual symbiosis between art and fashion, in this case led directly by Miuccia Prada and Patricio Bertelli , her husband and CEO of the firm. Among its spaces, renovated by Rem Koolhaas, special projects developed in collaboration with museums from around the world can be seen throughout the year.
Ca' Corner della Regina contains collaborations from museums around the world
GIORGIO CINI FOUNDATION a whole island, San Giorgio Maggiore , dedicated to the study, research and dissemination of the arts, history, literature, music and science. You have to visit it, at least, to get lost in the labyrinth designed by architect Randoll Coate , which occupies an area of 2,300 meters, made up of 3,250 floors, whose concept is inspired by The Garden of Forking Paths of Borges. Or visit the extraordinary library with 150,000 volumes, which was completed in 2010 with the “Manica lunga” , the new library, designed by Michele De Lucchi.
"The glass rooms" are the novelty of this foundation , a space transformed into a showroom by Annabelle Selldorf, which opened in September 2012 with the wonderful glass designs of Carlo Scarpa.
The island of San Giorgio Maggiore is the Giorgio Cini Foundation (yes, whole)
QUERINI STAMPALIA FOUNDATION The 16th century palace houses a decorative arts museum showing details of life and interior design in venice until the 18th century and a contemporary art center that promotes works by artists conceived specifically for this space. The renovation of the palace, designed by Carlo Scarpa, It is a recognized masterpiece of contemporary architecture, the rehabilitation of the ground floor and the garden offers the best proof of his line of work, he created a coating that looks like a fabric with different superimposed tapestries, which reveals certain color contrasts.
This palazzo houses a museum of decorative arts
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION And to finish the tour, nothing better than going to the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which was Peggy Guggenheim's home in Venice, and still is since her remains remain in the garden along with her beloved dogs. Located on the Grand Canal it is one of the most visited museums in the city . It contains an excellent collection of modern painting with works by Duchamp, Braque, Picasso, Giacometti, Ernst, Magritte, Pollok, Calder or Marini . After a day of visiting the city, it is worth resting in its sculpture garden or in its wonderful cafe with a refreshing spritz. _*To know more:
Venice Guide
Peggy Guggenheim also leaves her mark on the Grand Canal