The Belgian designer, Dries Van Noten, who started his namesake fashion label in 1986 and retired from the industry in 2024, had envisioned creating an arts foundation in a space that wasn’t too big or elaborate—something neutral that he and his partner could furnish themselves. Instead, they bought a 15th-century building in the heart of Venice. For over 400 years it had remained in the private hands of a single family, but as its new steward, Van Noten plans to open it to the public, starting with a presentation this spring.
In April, the non-profit Fondazione Dries Van Noten will open in the approximately 43,000-square-foot Palazzo Pisani Moretta. The palace is filled with ornate wall coverings and moldings, rococo furniture and artworks, and marble floors with intricately detailed inlays. Photographed in Venice with
@brett_lloyd for
@wsjmag 🧡
They spent eight months curating more than 200 works. Across 20 rooms, fashion from Christian Lacroix and Comme des Garçons will intermingle with art and furniture from Misha Kahn, Ettore Sottsass and Max Lamb, among many others. The show explores the theme of craftsmanship in art and other disciplines. “The more that people talk about AI, 3-D printing and all modern techniques, I think the more that young people are also going to be intrigued by things made by hand, things where you let coincidence play a role,” says Van Noten.
@driesvannoten @fondazionedriesvannoten 🧡
Van Noten says. “I hope that people are going to see that making things with your hands, with your soul, is really important.” 📝 by
@laneflorsheim 🧡
