Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia
Agenda 2026: exhibitions, meetings and new spaces for the city
The 2026 programme of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia has been presented and provides a snapshot of a cultural system in excellent health, growing in terms of the quality of its offerings, the breadth of its proposals and structural investments, and its ability to attract increasingly numerous and diverse audiences. With its 13 venues, together with storage facilities, libraries, spaces, new projects and construction sites, MUVE is increasingly playing a leading role as an encyclopaedic multi-site museum, offering a calendar of exhibitions, permanent installations and initiatives for the city throughout the year and beyond.
“The Musei Civici di Venezia are a living, growing reality, capable of combining protection and innovation, major exhibitions and a focus on the local territory,” says Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of Venice. “The results in terms of visitor numbers, the quality of the projects and the investments in the venues demonstrate that culture is a fundamental driver for the growth of the city, its identity and its future. The Fondazione in the city acts as the driving force behind an inclusive system that focuses on art in all its forms and responds to the needs of all visitors who choose to walk through the doors of its museums. In order to be close to citizens and tourists, the museums have extended opening hours and free admission days have been established for residents of the metropolitan city, as well as dedicated services, such as dog sitting for tourists. The decision was made to focus heavily on young people, and this gamble has proved successful: the Artefici del nostro tempo competition has become an important event for contemporary art, and the opening of the Emeroteca dell'Arte as a place for the exchange of readings and a centre for young artists' studies has confirmed the choice of the artistic hub in the centre of Mestre. Another winning choice is the restoration of the Casermette in Forte Marghera, which, through Muve, will become a secure place for art and young artists. Teamwork in the museums is made possible by those who work there every day, which is why I will never stop thanking them for the work they do on a daily basis for those who choose to admire our wonderful galleries and spaces.”
“The year 2026 is the result of continuous growth and vision,” emphasises Mariacristina Gribaudi, President of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. “The number of exhibitions is growing, as are the venues and audiences, which are increasingly diverse and demanding. But above all, the idea of the museum as an open, inclusive place that produces culture and knowledge, capable of speaking to the present without losing touch with its history, is growing. This inevitably means pausing for a moment to look back at the path that has brought us here. For me, this moment also coincides with the end of a ten-year term: complex and intense years, marked by profound transformations and challenges that have tested the very role of all cultural institutions. In recent years, the Musei Civici di Venezia have rethought their role, increasingly transforming themselves into dynamic cultural spaces, capable of communicating with an international audience through innovative, accessible experiences supported by new technologies. Innovation has become an integral part of their mission, as has the active management of the cultural spaces entrusted to them by the City Council. This strategy has yielded strong results: 2025 closed with over 2.4 million visitors and steady growth, confirmed by a 10.8% increase in attendance in December, a sign of a solid and vital relationship with the public and the Museums' renewed ability to tell the story of Metropolitan Venice to the world. The future of our museums will therefore depend on our ability to continue this dialogue with courage and innovation".
The year 2026 consolidates MUVE's role as an integrated cultural system, ranging from archaeological research – with the major exhibition at the Doge's Palace dedicated to Etruscans and Veneti. Acque, culti e santuari – to the history of the Serenissima, Venetian cultures and the Venetian lagoon, with the renovation of the Museo Correr, the enhancement of the Museo di Torcello and the research undertaken by the Museo di Storia Naturale. Nor should we overlook music and the theatre, the art of the ‘civilisations of the eighteenth century’ with the museums of Ca' Rezzonico, the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo and the Casa di Carlo Goldoni, and the investigations into the modern, contemporary and current worlds, with Jenny Saville at Ca' Pesaro and Erwin Wurm at the Museo Fortuny. And, last but not least, the know-how and new artistic productions, responding to the needs of culture, people, visitors – everyone.
The programme thus takes the form of major exhibitions, new permanent displays, enhancement of collections, extensions and major restorations, and even the creation of new centres such as MUVEC – Casa delle Contemporaneità in Mestre, along with the process towards the Grande Correr and the extension of the Museo del Vetro, marking a decisive step in the transformation of the Musei Civici – the civic museums – into an increasingly connected and accessible network.
AGENDA 2026: THE PROGRAMME OF EXHIBITIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Area Marciana (St Mark’s Square)
The Doge's Apartment in the Doge's Palace is hosting the major exhibition Etruschi e Veneti. Acque, culti e santuari (Etruscans and Venetians. Waters, Cults and Sanctuaries – 6 March – 29 September 2026, press preview 5 March), curated by Chiara Squarcina and Margherita Tirelli. With over 700 artefacts from leading institutions and national museums, the exhibition explores the central role of water in the sacred practices of both Etruscan and Veneto cultures. At the Museo Correr, dialogue between ancient and contemporary art takes shape in the Sala Quattro Porte with Bizhan Bassiri. Principe. Il Nottambulo del Pensiero Magmatico (Prince. The Night Owl of Magmatic Thought – 27 February – 30 June, press preview 26 February) an environmental installation of several works conceived by the Iranian artist for the space. The Canova rooms host Canovian Dialogues. Spiral Economy. Charrière and Canova (30 April – 22 November 2026), a dialogue between French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière and Antonio Canova that reveals the poetry of materiality.
These projects accompany visitors towards the creation of the Grande Correr, opening in 2027, with the renovation of the first-floor galleries dedicated to the History and Civilisation of Venice and the ongoing restoration of the second floor.
The Modern and Contemporary Museums
The Galleria d’arte Moderna Ca' Pesaro inaugurates the exhibition season of major monographic exhibitions and investigations dedicated to the protagonists of contemporary painting: from 28 March to 22 November 2026 (press preview on 27 March 2026), the museum will host the first major exhibition in Venice with Jenny Saville at Ca' Pesaro, an exhibition designed to showcase one of the most influential voices in contemporary art, retracing her career from her beginnings in the 1990s to the present day, alongside new works created for the occasion.
During the busiest days of the year for contemporary art lovers in Venice, the Sale Dom Pérignon on the second floor of Ca’ Pesaro will inaugurate Hernan Bas. I visitatori (The Visitors – from 7 May to 30 August 2026, press preview on 6 May), presenting over thirty new works on display in an immersive installation designed specifically for Ca’ Pesaro. Also in the Sale Dom Pérignon, 2026 continues with projects promoting masters linked to research in the area, who have chosen to donate examples of their work to the civic collections of Venice: Gianmaria Potenza. Io, Venezia. Forma, luce, materia (I, Venice. Form, light, matter – from 3 October to 22 November, a tribute to the artist in the year of his ninetieth birthday; Omaggio a Silvio Gagno (Tribute to Silvio Gagno) curated by Sileno Salvagnini (from 12 December to 7 February 2027) with an exhibition describing his artistic adventure.
The season at the Museo Fortuny opens with Diafanés and a tribute to Lombard artist Antonio Scaccabarozzi, through an in-depth exploration of three key moments in his career. Curated by Ilaria Bignotti and Camilla Remondina, in collaboration with the Associazione Archivio Antonio Scaccabarozzi and Galleria Clivio, the exhibition is open from 28 January to 6 April 2026 (opening and press preview on 27 January 2026).
From 6 May to 22 November 2026 (press preview on 5 May), the home and studio of Mariano Fortuny and Henriette Nigrin presents – for the first time in Italy – a major monographic exhibition dedicated to Austrian sculptor Erwin Wurm: an investigation into his work and the very concept of sculpture, where notions of time, mass and surface, abstraction and representation are questioned, amid essential philosophical, psychological and social issues, treated with unmistakable humour.
As part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the museum, research continues into Henriette Nigrin's key role in managing the textile workshop, with an in-depth study and exhibition of fabrics for fashion and furnishings.
2026 is also the year of the restoration and presentation of Mariano Fortuny's album Ciel, a visionary project on the study of atmospheric effects and light.
The Museums of the Eighteenth Century
This is a special year for Ca’ Rezzonico - Museo del Settecento Veneziano: from 7 March to 8 June, it will host I Guardi della Collezione Gulbenkian (Guardi from the Gulbenkian Collection), an exhibition that brings some of the most valuable works from the Portuguese museum to Venice. Paintings by Francesco Guardi dating from between 1770 and 1790 are displayed alongside drawings from the Gabinetto del Museo del Settecento Veneziano.
During the summer, the museum presents the Donazione Rubelli (The Rubelli donation – from 24 June to 7 September 2026), the collection of drawings by Alessandro Favaretto Rubelli, promoter of the success of the textile company of the same name and a major collector. This splendid new addition enriches the museum's collection of antique prints with drawings by Venetian artists from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, including Canaletto, Giandomenico Tiepolo, Palma il Giovane, Sebastiano and Marco Ricci. In autumn, from 23 September 2026 to 11 January 2027, Ca' Rezzonico presents Album Romantici (Romantic albums), an exhibition dedicated to nineteenth-century sketchbooks, marking the completion of the restoration of three important pieces that belonged to three leading figures in nineteenth-century Venetian cultural life.
A landmark for the history of fashion, fabric, costume and perfume, from 20 May to 8 November 2026, the Museo Palazzo Mocenigo will host an exhibition by Lebanese artist Mouna Rebeiz entitled Le tarbouche. Quando un accessorio diventa simbolo (The fez. When an accessory becomes a symbol), in which the conical headdress made of wool or red silk, traditionally worn only by men, becomes a characteristic feature of female nudes.
Finally, in the rooms on the main floor of the Casa di Carlo Goldoni, a new exhibition illustrates Goldoni's theatre through eighteenth-century paintings and furnishings, recreating settings from the author's plays. The exhibition is enriched by a focus on musical theatre, which reached its peak in the eighteenth century.
The Museo di Storia Naturale (Natural History Museum)
After an intense year dedicated, in particular, to research on the Venetian Lagoon – which will be the focus of two new rooms in the permanent exhibition space – among the main activities for 2026 aimed at dissemination and public engagement, the museum is proposing the photographic and scientific communication project Dentro e fuori dall’acqua. L’ambiente di marea dell’Alto Adriatico (In and out of the water. The tidal environment of the Upper Adriatic): an exhibition scheduled from 5 June to 13 September 2026, curated by Lorenzo Peter Castelletto and organised in collaboration with the Marina di Miramare Protected Area (WWF) and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics, to reveal the ‘behind the scenes’ of a fascinating environment suspended that is neither land nor sea.
The Island Museums
Of particular significance for the Museo del Vetro di Murano (Murano Glass Museum) is the completion of the new museum space between the end of 2026 and 2027, thanks to structural work that will make the section dedicated to twentieth-century and contemporary Venetian glass art – and more – even more comprehensive. The new pavilion, covering over 1,300 square metres, once a glass bead factory, will thus be incorporated into the main museum building to become a space dedicated to the history of the factory and the family in the twentieth century, containing donations from contemporary artists and designers – including those from New York gallery owner Berry Friedman and the Carlo Moretti company – and the latest section dedicated to contemporary chandeliers. Among the temporary exhibitions scheduled – in addition to projects related to The Venice Glass Week – from 12 June 2026 to 30 March 2027, the museum will host the exhibition Babel, featuring works by the renowned Murano artist Marco Toso Borella.
On the island of Burano, alongside numerous educational, training and promotional activities dedicated to the art of lace-making, there will be a competition: Un merletto per Venezia (Lace for Venice), dedicated to contemporary creativity, now returning for its eleventh edition. As per tradition, the award ceremony is scheduled for 14 June, coinciding with the opening of the exhibition I merletti delle Biennali (Lace from the Biennales) to the public (until 8 January 2027). A few minutes from Burano, the Museo Torcello enriches the lagoon's museum scene: physically connecting to the network of island museums and, with its archaeological, medieval and modern sections, inserting itself into the story of Venice, between the lagoon culture and the history of collecting, a prologue to the narrative developed in other venues.
MUVE in Mestre: exhibition spaces, cultural projects and the birth of a new museum
The opening of the new contemporary art museum in the city is eagerly awaited in spring 2026: MUVEC, la Casa delle Contemporaneità, (the House of the Contemporary World), which will have a permanent venue at the Centro Culturale Candiani, following major work to reform the structure and functions of the building. A dedicated entrance leads to the second floor and the permanent collection: a selection of works from the civic collections of modern and contemporary art of Ca' Pesaro, with a section dedicated to art from 1948 to the present day. The project invites visitors to reflect on the meaning of contemporary art, creating a dialogue between the main international movements that have been presented in Venice over the years and the artistic research undertaken in the area.
The exhibition, comprising 60 works by over 50 artists, is divided into three thematic sections that explore the transformations in art and society from the post-war period to the new millennium, investigating the themes of the body, matter and the city as a space for life, dialogue and conflict: Construction, Reconstruction and Deconstruction. Three structured paths represented in two complementary levels of interpretation: international art and local experiences, which intertwine and enrich each other.
The third floor remains dedicated to temporary exhibitions, with a renovated exhibition space that highlights the many contemporary aspects of the civic collections, continuing the cycle of exhibitions on the Masters of the Twentieth Century – from 26 September 2026 to 14 February 2027 with Klimt, Schiele, Kokoshka e il corpo nell'arte contemporanea (Klimt, Schiele, Kokoshka and the body in contemporary art) – and hosting the Premio Mestre di Pittura (Mestre Painting Prize), which celebrates its tenth edition in 2026.
Moving towards becoming a cultural, artistic and creative district, MUVE in Mestre is involved in planning the Emeroteca dell'Arte, a meeting place for citizens and the artistic community, and a centre for production too, with 10 artists in residence from the joint call for applications made in collaboration with the Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, plus the three winners of the Artefici del Nostro Tempo and Premio Mestre di Pittura competitions. The workspaces are closely linked to exhibition opportunities with exhibitions held in the new Casermetta Est di Forte Marghera: the new venue for Artefici del nostro tempo, from 20 June to 27 September 2026, and the end-of-residency exhibition for the artists of the Emeroteca dell'Arte with Bevilacqua La Masa, between autumn 2026 and spring 2027, as well as the opportunities for connections and cross-fertilisation that will arise in the future Palaplip factory.
