Dries Van Noten Opens Craft-Focused Foundation in Venice with Inaugural Exhibition

Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten has established a new foundation dedicated to craftsmanship and savoir-faire in Venice, Italy. The foundation, located at Palazzo Pisani Moretta, opens on April 25, 2026. Its inaugural presentation, titled 'The Only True Protest is Beauty,' is curated with Geert Bruloot and features over two hundred works across twenty rooms, spanning fashion, glass, ceramics, design, photography, and experimental materials. Van Noten, who stepped down from his brand's creative direction in March 2024, described the foundation as a space for exchange and knowledge transmission, responding to a generational urgency against superficiality. He selected Venice for its unique ecosystem of traditional crafts like glass, textiles, ceramics, and goldsmithing, which he sees as a worldview rather than mere heritage. In an interview, Van Noten argued that craftsmanship defends depth and presence in a fast-paced world, where beauty can be a radical, subversive form of protest that rejects cynicism. He emphasized that tradition and innovation are part of the same conversation, evolving when allowed to breathe. The foundation aims to support local know-how and create opportunities for young creatives, fostering a slower, more conscious engagement with making.