Nomadic Foundations Reshape Art Philanthropy as Venice Biennale Hosts Over 20 Private Presentations
During the 61st Venice Biennale in May, the city hosted more than 20 exhibitions from private foundations. Among the new nomadic entities, LAS Art Foundation and Amos Rex presented Natasha Tontey's installation at Ateneo Veneto. At the Complesso dell’Ospedaletto, Fondazione In Between Art Film launched Canicula. Established in 2019 by Jan Fischer and Bettina Kames, LAS focuses on commissioning two to three projects annually, prioritizing projects over physical spaces. This nomadic trend is also seen beyond Venice, with ICA San Francisco adopting a fully nomadic model and Julia Stoschek planning to close her Berlin venue in October 2026. In 2023, there were 446 active private museums globally, a decrease from 546. Additionally, NODE Foundation opened in January in Palo Alto with over $45 million, featuring the CryptoPunks collection.
Key facts
- Over 20 private foundation-backed presentations took place at the 61st Venice Biennale in May.
- LAS Art Foundation and Amos Rex showed Natasha Tontey's immersive installation at the Ateneo Veneto.
- Fondazione In Between Art Film opened Canicula at the Complesso dell’Ospedaletto for its third consecutive Biennale.
- LAS was founded in 2019 by Jan Fischer and Bettina Kames and commissions two to three projects a year with no collection.
- The ICA San Francisco went fully nomadic last year, and Julia Stoschek will close her Berlin space in October 2026.
- Olav Velthuis counted 446 private museums active internationally in 2023, down from a peak of 546.
- TBA21’s The Current fellowship ran its first two editions without exhibitions, using boat-based research voyages.
- NODE Foundation opened in Palo Alto in January with over $45 million from Becky Kleiner and Micky Malka, housing the CryptoPunks collection.
Entities
Artists
- Jeni Fulton
- Koyo Kouoh
- Natasha Tontey
- Jan Fischer
- Bettina Kames
- Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg
- Julia Stoschek
- Markus Reymann
- Beatrice Bulgari
- Nicola Bulgari
- Karimah Ashadu
- Saodat Ismailova
- Wang Tuo
- Lawrence Abu Hamdan
- Janis Rafa
- P. Staff
- Maya Watanabe
- Alessandro Rabottini
- Leonardo Bigazzi
- Jonathas de Andrade
- Barbara Casavecchia
- Yina Jiménez Suriel
- Natasha Ginwala
- Joan Jonas
- Ikue Mori
- Francesco Migliaccio
- Becky Kleiner
- Micky Malka
- Kim Asendorf
- Beeple
- Ana María Caballero
- Maya Man
- Larva Labs
- Dmitri Cherniak
- Armin Linke
- Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza
- Victor Pinchuk
- Olav Velthuis
Institutions
- La Biennale dell’Arte
- Fondazione Prada
- Pinault Collection
- TBA21
- Autotelic Foundation
- Victor Pinchuk Foundation
- LAS Art Foundation
- Amos Rex
- Ateneo Veneto
- Fondazione In Between Art Film
- Complesso dell’Ospedaletto
- Kraftwerk Berlin
- Halle am Berghain
- Museum für Naturkunde
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia
- ICA San Francisco
- Audemars Piguet Contemporary
- Fondazione Nicola Trussardi
- Ocean Space
- Zabludowicz Collection
- University of Amsterdam
- Bourse du Commerce
- Gwangju Biennale
- Schmidt Ocean Institute
- International Seabed Authority
- Padimai Art & Tech Studio
- Canyon
- NODE Foundation
- MoMA
- Hong Foundation
- Fundación Ama Amoedo
- Amos Anderson Fund
- PARKSEOBO FOUNDATION
- ArtReview
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Berlin
- Germany
- San Francisco
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Florence
- Milan
- Rome
- Paris
- France
- Gwangju
- South Korea
- Singapore
- New York City
- Palo Alto
- Bay Area
- Kingston
- Jamaica
- Mediterranean
- Caribbean
- Indian Ocean
- Santo Domingo
- Dominican Republic