reopens to the public
When Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo first entered Palazzo Pesaro degli Orfei in 1898, the building, the largest construction of the late Venetian flamboyant Gothic style, was in decay. Mariano was captivated by it and, in about ten years, managed to restore it to its glory. Soon the palace between Campo San Beneto and Rio Michiel became the atelier of his artistic experimentations, together with Henriette Nigrin, and the favorite salon of the Venetian and international cultural elite.
Discover the restaurant Il Refettorio, in Venice
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, a genius
Mariano Fortuny was a multi-faceted and eclectic artist, a talented genius open to modernity and innovations of the twentieth century, and a skilled entrepreneur. His talent ranged from painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, theater, furniture, textiles; he invented production processes, created new materials, and filed trademarks and patents. In 1956, Henriette Nigrin, Mariano Fortuny’s widow, donated Palazzo Fortuny to the City of Venice, to make it a Museum and a center of cultural interest.
As of March 9, 2022, the Fortuny Palace Museum reopens to the public, after the devastation of the Acqua Granda (Venetian high water), in the fall of 2019. Now, for the first time, more than 90% of the materials connected to Mariano Fortuny are on display all at once. It also includes the precious antique textiles from the Venice Foundation. The engaging itinerary combines the emotion of the house and the ambients lived in with the presence of thematic rooms with a more museum-like flavor, all the way to the atelier, with innovative objects and tools. It is a real immersion in the atmosphere of a renowned and central place to Venice of the time. It is also evident by the many period photographs, which allow us to understand tastes, presences, combinations, references, and relationships between people, objects, creations, arts, and knowledge. All photos by Massimo Listri, courtesy Museo Fortuny. Fortuny.Visitmuve.it
Museo Fortuny
San Marco 3958
30124 Venice
