Restoration Rookie

VENICE — Hidden behind crumbling estates on this island almost entirely marked by UNESCO heritage sites is the Ca’ Corner della Regina palazzo, housing Fondazione Prada’s first multifaceted exhibition with a restorative art mission.

Fondazione Prada is a non-profit institution independent of the fashion label, focused on contemporary art projects. Ca’ Corner della Regina is on a six-year loan from the Venice municipality, owners of the palazzo, with Prada foundation as the main protagonist for the preservation and functional restoration of the palazzo.

The historic building on the Grand Canal classifies as a baroque palazzo but with unique architectural details belonging to neoclassical style, such as mezzanine floors on both left and right sides introduced for the first time by Giandomenico Rossi in 1724, in addition to one of Venice’s more imposing open-plan salons or portego.

With the first phase already complete, frescoes and surfaces with great architecture value allow for the ground floor, first and second mezzanines and the portego in the piano nobile (“noble floor” or the principal floor of the house) to be partially reopened to the public, with guidance by Rem Koolhaas and OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture), architectural collaborator of Miuccia Prada, since opening concept stores in LA, NY and London and with most of Prada’s fashion show sets done by OMA.

The first show at Ca’ Corner della Regina features a selection of art works and installations collected over the years with no single, thematic assembly, representing the foundation’s cultural approach. Works from Martin Creed, Anish Kapoor, Thomas Demand, Louise Bourgeois, Maurizio Cattelan, Nathalie Djurberg, Tom Friedman, Tobias Rehberger to Francesco Vezzoli all in all interact in a fluid relationship with modern and contemporary work.

Beginning with its exhibition of sculptures in 1993, the foundation has evolved with a multi-disciplinary interest in art, photography, cinema, design, philosophy, science and architecture. Included also are glimpses of future collaborations. At the end of 2013, Fondazione Prada will complete its permanent site at Largo Isarco in Milan, broadening the cultural perspective of the foundation.

Time Capsule

1993: Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli created the Fondazione Prada with an exhibition site in a renovated industrial site in Milan and in the words of Miuccia Prada for “the most profound and thought-provoking art projects of our times.”

1997: Invites Louise Bourgeois for site-specific installation.

1998: Focuses on urban environment and culture with Dan Flavin’s permanent work for the Church of Santa Maria.

2001: Ground-breaking architectural designs for the Prada Epicenters in New York, by Rem Koolhaas and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).

2004: “The Secret History of Italian Cinema” was presented at the Venice Film Festival, to rediscover and restore forgotten or overlooked films. investigating architectural and scenographic elements for fashion show sets designed by Prada and OMA for more than a decade.

2011: “Ex Limbo” is a project by Rotor collective

2013: Opening of Fondazione Prada at Largo Isaco in Milan, commissioned to long-time collaborator Rem Koolhaas and OMA to transform an early 20th century industrial site.