Venice biennale and beyond
OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2026
7 Days and 6 Nights
With a focus on the 2026 Venice Biennale, we will create an enriching experience with the professional perspectives of scholars and artists. This year's Biennale will showcase a wide range of contemporary art forms and will realize the vision of Koyo Kouoh, the acclaimed curator who sadly died and was a pioneering figure in contemporary African art.
Venice, one of my personal favorites, is a city with so many layers of creativity that are exquisitely tied together across centuries. Venice was not ruled by the church but was a city of merchants since the 11th century and has been the center of global trade with a long tradition of innovation in the fields of arts and design.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy
Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia
Internationally acclaimed artist Marina Abramović will make history in 2026 as the first living woman artist to be honored with a major exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. The exhibition marks the artist’s 80th birthday and establishes a profound dialogue between her pioneering performance art and the Renaissance masterpieces that have shaped the cultural identity of Venice.
Lorna Simpson: Third Person
Punta della Dogana
The solo exhibition of Lorna Simpson represents the most significant presentation of her work in Europe in more than a decade, focusing on her painting practice. Organized in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – where an initial version curated by Lauren Rosati, “Source Notes”, was presented in spring 2025 – the Venetian iteration offers a renewed selection and brings together around fifty works – paintings, as well as collages, sculptures, installations, and film – drawn from the Pinault Collection, private collections, international institutions, and from the artist’s own archive. The exhibition will feature new works created specifically for the exhibition at Punta della Dogana.
Michael Armitage: The Promise of Change
Palazzo Grassi
Pinault Collection presents a major exhibition dedicated to Michael Armitage, one of the most original and acclaimed voices in contemporary painting. Navigating between narratives inspired by reality and dreamlike visions, the work of Michael Armitage (born in Nairobi in 1984) addresses issues of our time, including sociopolitical tensions, violence, alluring ideologies, and the global migration crisis. His paintings open with sensitivity and critical acuity to a broader reflection on identity, memory, and the meaning of humanity.
Lee Ufan
SMAC Venice
Lee Ufan’s retrospective at San Marco Art Centre (SMAC) on St. Mark’s Square, one of 31 officialcollateral Venice Biennale events, is pegged to the South Korean artist’s 90th birthday and celebrates seven decades of his creative practice.
A new, site-specific commission is at the heart of the show, which is staged across eight galleries and takes the visitor through the arc of Ufan’s career as a leading figure of the Japanese Mono-hamovement. One highlight is his sculpture Relatum (formerly Iron Field) (1969/2019), a bed of iron rods nestled in sand.
VENETIAN TEXTILE TOUR
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Venice emerged as a hub for the production and trade of luxurious textiles, particularly silk, velvet, and brocade. The city's skilled artisans mastered intricate weaving techniques, producing fabrics with elaborate patterns and designs sought after by nobles and royalty across Europe.
We will immerse ourselves in centuries of artistry and craftsmanship with guided tours of the infamous Bevilacqua textile mill and the Fortuny Museum and Showroom.
MOORS OF VENICE
At Ca’ Rezzonico Art Museum, we will familiarize ourselves with the ‘Moors of Venice’ and the remarkable work of Italian sculptor Andrea Brustolon. The Baroque painted and ebonized blackmoor figures are depicted in leg and armrests of furniture and are truly a sight to see. Amidst gold, shining diamonds and precious stones, blackamoors appear on brooches in jewelry shops in Venice, proudly featuring as pure Venetian tradition.
VENISSA WINE TOUR
We will experience a wine tasting on the Mazzorbo island in the Venetian Lagoon.The guided wine tasting will feature a wine of the native grape variety, the Dorona, dating back to 1100. We will walk through the rows of Dorona that live within the walled vineyard of Mazzorbo Island. Guided by a wine ambassador, we will learn the timeless heritage of the Venice lagoon and the story of how Venissa came to be.
Pinaul Collection at Punta della Dogna
Please contact us for more specific information on this exciting tour info@thealixexperience.com