Venice Reopens, Refreshed - Gallerie dell'Accademia, V-A-C Foundation & Palazzo Vendramin Grimani Welcome Visitors

Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) Once again, the museums and institutions of Venice have reopened after being closed due to the global pandemic. Let's hope that this time they remain open. Venice safeguards vast amounts of treasures inside her ancient structures, which have been protected by wise gatekeepers for centuries and preserved for all of humanity. From the East to the West, there is knowledge here in Venice waiting for you to explore.

 

Gallerie dell'Accademia  

#VeniceBooks - Photo: Cat Bauer

I love pushing open the old wooden doors to enter the Accademia -- especially because these days there is always a surprise waiting on the other side. If you haven't been there for awhile, the first thing you will notice is that the entrance on the ground floor has been restored, complete with a new ticket counter, and a book and gift shop where you can find a fine selection of books about Venice in English by local authors and publishers. 

Corridoio Palladiano

The Accademia itself has been undergoing a makeover for several years, thanks to the powerful vision of the former director, Paola Marini, which has continued under the new director, Giulio Manieri Elia, and the whole Accademia team. The entire layout of the museum is more dynamic, and makes much more sense. Dottoressa Marini now heads the International Private Committees to Safeguard Venice, and was on hand yesterday to see the latest Accademia restoration revealed.

Dottoressa Paola Marini - Photo: Cat Bauer

On Wednesday, April 28 we were treated to a preview of the restoration of the Corridoio Palladiano, the corridor based on a design by the great architect Andrea Palladio, which has been closed for about two years. Gradually the freshly restored rooms will be filled with the precious art that is preserved inside the Accademia, home to the largest collection of Venetian art in the world. The room I am really looking forward to is the Cabinet of Drawings, which will include 20 drawings by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Accademia is open on Mondays from 8:15am to 2pm, and on Tuesdays through Sundays from 8:15am to 7:15pm. Due to new government regulations, you must make a reservation on the weekends. Go to the Accademia website for more information.  

V-A-C Foundation

Scholars at work at Palazzo delle Zattare - Photo: Cat Bauer

Meanwhile, today, April 29th, over on the Zattare, the V-A-C Foundation kicked off its newest project -- Non-Extractive Architecture - On Designing without Depletion, a live exhibition and research program conceived by the architect and curator Joseph Grima, in collaboration with the design studio Space Caviar. 

From now until January 31, 2022, the Palazzo delle Zattere -- with its amazing views of the Giudecca Canal -- transforms into a working laboratory thanks to a residence of 10 international scholars. The theme is contemporary architectural production in a more sustainable key from both an environmental and social point of view. How fortunate to be an international scholar working in such a inspiring setting!

Non-Extractive Architecture - On Designing without Depletion

There is an accompanying book with the same title as the exhibition, which starts with a fascinating introduction by the curator Joseph Grima entitled On the Need for a New Paradigm in Architecture. 

 

In the early 20th century, amateur archaeologists discovered that the 20-meter-high hills that flanked the coastline of the Gulf of Baratti were not natural. In reality, they were mountains of slag -- waste matter from the mining of ore -- produced by the smelting process used by the Romans over the course of 500 years. 

 

V-A-C Zattare is located at Dorsoduro 1401, and is open Thursday to Tuesday from 11am to 7pm; closed on Wednesday. Go to VAC for more details. 

 

 Palazzo Vendramin Grimani

Palazzo Vendramin Grimani piano nobile - Photo: Cat Bauer

There's a new palace in town. Actually, it's an old palace with a new name, freshly restored. Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, once the residence of the humanist Doge Pietro Grimani, has come back to life thanks to the Fondazione dell’Albero d'Oro. The non-profit cultural institution was founded in 2019 by a group of French and Venetian entrepreneurs and professionals with strong links to Venice who are passionate about culture, and wanted to return the palace to its natural calling as a cultural landmark. 

Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, formerly known as Palazzo Grimani Marcello, was built at the beginning of the sixteenth century. In May 2021 it will open as "a new place for artistic and cultural exchange and dissemination open to all those who love Venice, live there or frequent it – be they residents, students or international travellers – and who still accord the city its role as a starting point and destination of that real or imaginary journey that connects East and West."

 Part of the Fondazione dell’Albero d'Oro team - Photo: Cat Bauer
 Jean-Francois Dubos, Daniela Ferretti, Beatrice de Reynies, Gilles Etrillard

I was glad to see that Daniela Ferretti, the greatly respected former Director of Palazzo Fortuny (2007 to 2019), is part of Fondazione dell’Albero d'Oro team. The other people in the photo are Jean-François Dubos, the President of JFD Associates, Chairman of the Maison Européenne de la photographie (MEP) in Paris and General Secretary of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. Next to Dottoressa Ferretti is Béatrice de Reyniès, an expert in the development and animation of cultural and tourist sites around the world. The Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro is chaired by Gilles Étrillard, founder of one of Europe’s leading independent financial groups.

Photojournalist Nally Bellati of Contessanally Blog - Photo: Cat Bauer

Jean-Francois Dubos, Beatrice de Reynies, Giovanni Rubin de Cervin Albrizzi

More photos & info at Contessanally

From 24 May to 6 June 2021, Palazzo Vendramin Grimani will offer free, daily guided tours available to the public with a reservation, delving into the history of the noble familes who lived there, as well as the opportunity to view important works of art. After that the palace will be open from Thursday to Sunday, also by reservation. 

Go to Fondazione dell'Albero d'Oro to book your visit to Palazzo Vendramin Grimani.

It's exciting to see that so many people have been working diligently behind the scenes for the reopening of Venice -- especially this year, the year that Venice turns an astonishing 1600-years-old -- and that the World of Art and Culture continues to thrive, even during a pandemic.

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Ismael Ivo - Beloved Director of Venice La Biennale Dance - Rest with the Angels

Ismael Ivo (1955-2021) Photo courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia

(Venice, Italy) Venice attracts many exceptional human beings. La Biennale di Venezia, that stalwart cultural organization, is a magnet that yanks the best of them together in the same space and time.

 

Ismael Ivo, the dancer and choreographer, was one of the most extraordinary denizens that ever touched down in Venice. As Director of La Biennale Dance from 2005 until 2012, he revolutionized the dance sector.

I was stunned to learn of Ismael's death from COVID on April 8 at age 66 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, his home town -- he seemed too powerful and vibrant to die in a mass pandemic. When the press release arrived today from La Biennale, I first thought they were announcing that they were giving Ismael an award. I never imaged that he was dead.

 

Ismael was beautiful, inside and out. He was physically striking and graceful -- when he entered a room, he captured all eyes. His spirit was dynamic and dazzling. In Venice, Ismael Ivo was beloved.

 

I first saw him as a dancer on the stage, and was mesmerized by his motion. When I actually met him in 2009, we ended up hugging each other, proclaiming, "Yes we can!"

Ismael Ivo

Here is Ismael in his own words: 

"We can imagine the body as a unique orchestra that must play every part, exactly like the different musical instruments correspond to the full range of motion.

But when the body-orchestra begins to tune its instrument to prepare for a symphony -- here is where experience is needed to prepare for a task so high. This is the moment when the dancer needs to know how to find the space and have the power to dispose of it, experimenting and honing skills that have already been acquired."

 

Ismael Ivo with Paolo Baratta, President of La Biennale

After the world premier of Oxygen on May 26, 2010, a masterpiece of dance that Ismael had conceived and choreographed for La Biennale's 7th International Contemporary Dance Festival, I was so moved by its message that I told him how happy I was to be on Planet Earth at the same place and time with him.

Ismael Ivo in Venice - Photo courtesy of La Biennale

Twenty-three years ago, on April 8, 1998, I left Los Angeles on a tourist visa to come to Venice to write for three months. I missed a connecting flight in Paris, and arrived on April 9th. Since then, Venice has been my base. That Ismael died on this significant anniversary seems strangely poignant. 

 

Ismael Ivo impacted my life with his vision and his art -- and also on a personal level. I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to share some precious moments with him. Rest with the angels, sweet Ismael.

 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog