Venice is a city of dreams. Following recent high-profile arrivals by Rick Owens and Bottega Veneta, it will gain another cultural address in April 2026 with the opening of Fondazione Dries Van Noten at Palazzo Pisani Moretta, one of the Grand Canal’s most distinguished palazzi. The new foundation positions itself not as a shrine to heritage, but as a working platform for contemporary creativity grounded in centuries of craft.

Founded by Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe, the Fondazione formalises a long-standing commitment to craftsmanship as cultural practice, thinking through materials, processes and time. Its programme will place artists, designers and artisans in dialogue, connecting Venice’s historic know-how with international contemporary practice. It’s very exciting new additional to Venice.

Van Noten’s approach is shaped by both lineage and independence. A third-generation fashion figure, his father and grandfather were tailors, he launched his label in 1986 after graduating from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts. That same year, he and fellow members of what became known as the Antwerp Six made their mark by independently presenting at London Fashion Week, signalling a shift in European fashion away from branding and towards conceptual rigour. The rest is fashion history.

Over the past four decades, Van Noten has built one of fashion’s most influential independent houses, achieving global reach without advertising while retaining full creative control. Although a majority stake in the business was sold to the Puig Group in 2018, he remains Chief Creative Officer and Chairman. His work has been widely recognised through major international awards and institutional exhibitions, including a landmark retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

The Fondazione extends this ethos beyond fashion. Conceived as a living institution for emerging voices, rather than a static archive, it will operate year-round through exhibitions, commissions, residencies, educational programmes and off-site projects.

By embedding itself within Venice’s cultural ecosystem while maintaining a resolutely international outlook, Fondazione Dries Van Noten aims to foster new forms of exchange across disciplines. In a city often framed by nostalgia, it makes a clear proposition: craft as a forward-looking force, and tradition as a driver of change. The opening will also coincide with the upcoming Venice Art Biennale, from May 2026.

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