Experience
The visit to the Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo is conceived as a journey through memory, perception, and intangible heritage, where artworks, objects, and atmospheres come together to create a continuous dialogue between the visible and the invisible.
The experience unfolds through a sequence of spaces conceived as thresholds, inviting the visitor to suspend habitual modes of observation and to enter a more intimate and reflective dimension, where time, memory, and individual sensitivity find space for attentive listening.
The visit is intended to be savoured slowly. Visitors are encouraged, whenever possible, to avoid a rapid pace and large groups, in order to preserve the quality of the experience and to foster a deeper activation of perceptual awareness.
Guests are kindly invited to maintain an atmosphere of quiet, in respect of the space and of other visitors, allowing for a fuller engagement with the sensory and immersive nature of the experience.
The audio guides, developed with the support of Bloomberg, accompany the visit, offering an additional layer of interpretation and insight.
The Wish
Welcome to the Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo. Entering the first room, visitors are invited to leave the rhythm of everyday life and step into a perceptual dimension, where desire becomes the first gesture of the journey. Visitors are invited, upon entering or leaving, to express a personal wish.
At its centre, It’s My Party and I Will Cry If I Want To by Tiffany Bouelle introduces the emotional tone of the Foundation, presenting vulnerability as a source of transformation.A section of rare historical perfume bottles from Maddalena Di Giacomo’s collection, preserved with their original boxes, reveals scent as a narrative object and vessel of memory.Inspired by the creation of the perfume Palpitation, this space affirms one of the Foundation’s guiding principles: desire, in its fragile and imperfect nature, as a generative force at the origin of memory and creation.
Le Jour et la Nuit
Le Jour et la Nuit is the Foundation’s main temporary exhibition hall, facing the Church of San Silvestro. The title reflects on the relationship between light and darkness, rethinking their opposition: darkness is not absence or threat, but a necessary condition for perception, memory and transformation, a fertile space from which forms emerge into light.
At the end of the hall stands Maddalena Di Giacomo’s Steinway & Sons grand piano, a silent yet resonant presence for concerts and performances.A highlight of La Nota Mancante exhibition is a masterpiece by Jacob Marrel, evoking a cycle of destruction and rebirth.
Between two trees
The title evokes a swing suspended between two trees, a symbol of reverie, fluctuation, freedom and immersion in nature. This more intimate and contemplative space is inspired by woodland landscapes and a surrealism rooted in nature.
A selection of works by contemporary artists unfolds around themes of memory, synaesthesia and vanitas, where objects and natural elements preserve traces of time and emotion.
A highly anticipated moment of La Nota Mancante is the carved wooden sculpture Between Two Trees by Moe Nakamura, where organic form and dreamlike presence blur the boundary between nature and imagination.Historical and contemporary works enter into dialogue around the themes of memory, synaesthesia and vanitas, exploring how objects and natural elements preserve traces of time, emotions and human relationships.
Jeux d'eau
Overlooking a glimpse of the Grand Canal, Jeux d’eau takes its name from Maurice Ravel’s composition, evoking the movement, rhythm and instability of water. The room is dedicated to transformation and flow, inspired by the restless nature of Venetian water, never still, constantly shifting, reflecting and reshaping its surroundings.
Venice itself embodies this dynamic tension, in continuous dialogue between architecture and the lagoon. The ceiling decoration draws inspiration from Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, echoing its luminous skies and maritime atmosphere.
The space presents paintings, sculptures and installations from the Foundation’s collection, alongside perfume stations developed with scent historians and perfumers. A highlight is The Cloud by Peter De Cupere, an olfactory installation inspired by the theme of levitation.
Alchemical lab
The La Nota Mancante journey concludes in the Alchemical Laboratory, a space dedicated to olfactory research and multisensory experimentation.
A second selection of antique glass perfume bottles is displayed without their boxes, revealing the purity of their forms and their relationship to light, material and scent. A highlight of the space is the porcelain flower bouquet by Anna Volkova.
The room brings together the five senses - sight, smell, touch, taste and sound - exploring perfume as an invisible archive of memory. Hosting workshops with perfumers, artists and researchers, it becomes a meeting point between art, science and the history of fragrance, an alchemical studio where memory and perception are transformed into new creative experiences.
Salone Michele Bernardi
Located in the oldest part of the palace, historically believed to have been the residence of Giorgione, this salon houses the Foundation’s permanent collection dedicated to the feminine sphere. Conceived as a Petit Musée de la Femme, it explores the emotional, symbolic and cultural dimensions of womanhood through art and objects of sentiment. The room is dedicated to art historian Michele Bernardi, in memory of his curatorial vision and intellectual friendship.
Within its historic interiors, the salon presents portrait miniatures, Georgian lover’s eyes, eighteenth-century sentimental jewellery and paintings centred on the theme of amitié, a form of friendship embracing affection, devotion and emotional intimacy. Historical and contemporary works enter into dialogue around the memory of human bonds, creating an intimate space where femininity, friendship and memory converge. Highlights include a collection of Georgian lover’s eyes, portrait miniatures by John Smart, and a rare work by Thérèse Schwartze.
Residency and Member's Library
Le Salon de la Mémoire unfolds within the Fondazione as a literary salon, an intimate space for research and reflection to be experienced and shared, where art enthusiasts gather and actively contribute to the Fondazione’s vision and cultural programme.In dialogue with the permanent collection and the artist residency space, the Salon evolves through encounters, conversations, and shared moments of inquiry.
Artists in residence are integral to this process, presenting their work, opening their research, and generating occasions for exchange between artistic practice and critical thought. Access is thoughtfully curated and reserved for those for whom art constitutes an essential dimension, including collectors, curators, professionals, and scholars. In this way, the Salon shapes a community grounded in affinity, intellectual engagement, and a shared sensibility.
Le Salon de la Mémoire is defined by memory as a threshold, a space where past and present intersect, and where ideas are allowed to emerge, unfold, and contribute to new cultural trajectories.
Salon de la Memoire
Membership to Le Salon de la Mémoire is strictly regulated to ensure the highest standards of discourse and engagement.
Applicants are selected from individuals for whom art is a central pillar of their lives, including collectors, curators, art professionals, and passionate advocates of artistic exploration.
By fostering a community of like-minded individuals, the Salon offers a unique opportunity to engage in profound cultural exchanges and build meaningful connections.
