Dries van Noten Foundation Opens Venice Exhibition 'The Only True Protest Is Beauty' on April 25, 2026

The Dries van Noten Foundation launches its inaugural Venetian presentation at Palazzo Pisani Moretta on April 25, 2026. Titled 'The Only True Protest Is Beauty,' the exhibition positions aesthetic refinement as a radical political stance in contemporary art. Curated by the foundation, the show features works by over twenty artists and designers including Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Christian Lacroix, Ritsue Mishima, Kate MccGwire, Takuro Kuwata, Katsuyo Aoki, Joris Laarman, Audrey Guimard, Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Peter Buggenhout, Lilla Tabasso, Ettore Sottsass, Codognato, Julien d’Ys, Kaori Kurihara, Joseph Arzoumanov-Dhedin, and Isaac Monté. The exhibition occupies the Rococo-style halls of the 18th-century palazzo, originally redecorated by Chiara Pisani. Through fashion, glasswork, design, and painting, the foundation argues that beauty serves as the ultimate form of protest in brutal times, referencing Phil Ochs's 1960s protest song lyric and Prince Myshkin's dictum from Dostoevsky's 'The Idiot.' The exhibition runs through October 4, 2026, at San Polo 2766, 30125 Venice. Photography is credited to Camilla Glorioso, Pierre Marie Giraud, Cyril Bardy, and Monica Monté, with support from GC Agency.