Step Inside Fortuny’s 15th-Century Palazzo-Museum, Now Reopened Following a Two-Year Restoration

All eyes have been on Venice this spring, but the Biennale isn’t the only must-see in town for art and design enthusiasts: The Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo Museum, one of the city’s most enchanting institutions, has been given a face-lift, in conjunction with the renovation of the house’s factory and showroom on the Venetian island of Giudecca.

For the first time, the sites have formed a partnership to further educate and inspire the public (as well as the house’s employees) on the founder’s technical genius and cultural legacy. Fortuny Venezia 1921 has become an official sponsor of the museum, which will now be open year-round and is housed in the 15th-century gothic Palazzo Pesaro Orfei where the Spanish polymath Fortuny once lived.

For architect Alberto Torsello, who was appointed artistic director at Fortuny Venezia 1921 last fall, the opportunity to work with the heritage house has been an honor. “I decided to take this role because it is very important for my city, and I am passionate about our art, artisans, handicraft, and restoration,” he tells AD PRO over a Zoom call. Born and bred in Venice by a family of architects and painters, Torsello grew up in a home facing Fortuny’s Giudecca factory, which he recently helped renovate. His mother resides in the home to this day.

“The Fortuny factory is one of the last ones in Venice that is completely original with the same machines making textiles today, and most of the employees come from Venice. They bring the energy of the city to the company,” says Torsello, whose numerous Venetian restoration projects also currently include the Doge’s Palace, in St. Mark’s Square.

Although the catastrophic flooding of 2019 took its toll on the museum, like much of Venice, Maury and Mickey Riad, CEO and creative director of Fortuny Venezia 1921 respectively, saw this as an opportunity to refresh and rethink both spaces. Another goal for the museum, which has increasingly exhibited modern and contemporary art, was to refocus its narrative on emphasizing its trailblazing founder. “Mariano Fortuny was a scenographer, architect, lighting engineer, photographer, fashion designer, and artistic genius,” says Torsello. It was important he adds, “to recreate this perception.”