MUVEC Opens in Mestre as Wagner Museum Joins Venice Civic Museums Network

The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) has inaugurated MUVEC (Casa delle Contemporaneità) at the Centro Culturale Candiani in Mestre, opening April 24, 2026. The new contemporary art museum features a permanent collection drawn from the Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Venezia Ca' Pesaro, spanning from 1948 to the present, with works by artists such as Emilio Vedova, Gregory Mahoney, and others from the Gemma de Angelis Testa and Panza donations. The museum is organized thematically around three axes: Ricostruzione, Costruzione, Decostruzione, and will host temporary exhibitions including the 10th edition of the Premio Mestre di Pittura and, from September 26, 2026, the show "Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka e il corpo nell’arte contemporanea" featuring Chen Zhen, Vanessa Beecroft, and Marlene Dumas. Simultaneously, the Museo Wagner at Ca' Vendramin Calergi has been integrated into the MUVE network starting 2027, following an agreement between the foundation, Casinò di Venezia, and the Associazione Richard Wagner. The museum, founded in 1995, holds rare documents, scores, letters, paintings, and memorabilia related to Richard Wagner, who died in Venice in 1883. MUVE now comprises 14 museums, with MUVEC as the newest addition.