A home on the Grand Canal, a window to the world

Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro is a non-profit cultural institution established in 2019 by a group of French and Venetian entrepreneurs and professionals, united by a shared passion for culture in all its forms and by deep ties to Venice. Its mission is to restore life and spirit to Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, a historic building overlooking the Grand Canal. 

The palazzo opened to the public in 2021, following two years of restoration work aimed at restoring the building’s former splendour while also enhancing its functionality to host a variety of activities year-round. Our ambition, while always preserving the spirit of a Venetian residence, is to bring life to a place that had never been opened to the public before, and to revive it along with the rhythm of the seasons through an eclectic programme of events designed for anyone — both young and old — willing to venture to its entrance.

The labyrinthine path that visitors take to reach the palazzo, peculiar to Venice, reinforces the secretive and mysterious character of this building, which today hosts temporary exhibitions, artist residencies and literary events in the form of conferences. Willing to adapt to present times while also respecting the long history of the building and of Venice itself, the Foundation becomes an international hub for dialogue and creation that encourages interdisciplinary collaborations. The elegant palazzo thus becomes the starting point and the destination of either a real or imagined journey that makes Venice, once again, a crossroads between the East and the West. 

Mission

The mission of the Foundation is to promote all artistic, cultural and educational actions for the benefit of the city of Venice, its history and international recognition, in collaboration with many public and private, Italian and international institutions.

In order to make palazzo Vendramin Grimani a living place, as it has been for centuries, Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro intends to:

• support cultural and artistic projects, studies and research through grants and prizes.
• promote Venetian savoir-faire and the historical, economic and artistic heritage of Venice will also be a priority.
• enhance the role which the culture of Venice plays abroad; an ambition that will be carried out through cultural exchanges, workshops, meetings, concerts and art exhibitions.
• promote and spread the historical and contemporary contribution of foreigners to Venice and enhance the cultural resonance of the Serenissima in the world.
• participate with local actors in the safeguarding actions of Venice.

For this purpose, every year the program will present one or more multidisciplinary projects in collaboration with private institutions aimed at developing and widening cultural exchanges between Venice and the rest of the world.

The programming of cultural and artistic events will make palazzo Vendramin Grimani an international place of research and exchange, which contributes to the quality of the expansion of the cultural offer in Venice.

Fondation Etrillard is a founding member of Fondazione dell'Albero d'Oro.