Turkish Artist Ahmet Güneştekin Buys Entire Venetian Palazzo for Foundation

Turkish artist Ahmet Güneştekin has purchased Palazzo Gradenigo in Venice for €10 million to establish the Güneştekin Art Refinery foundation. The 17th-century palazzo in Campo Santa Giustina, Castello district, was acquired from Cassa Depositi e Prestiti with help from Culture Studio, a real estate firm specializing in cultural properties. The building, once owned by the Gradenigo patrician family, features a library of over 300 manuscripts and ceilings attributed to Giovanni Scajario, a disciple of Giovan Battista Tiepolo. Güneştekin plans to restore the palazzo and open it to the public with exhibitions, workshops, and residencies for young artists, following the model of Nicolas Berggruen and Anish Kapoor. The acquisition was finalized just before the 2024 Venice Biennale. Güneştekin, a self-taught artist of Kurdish origin born in Batman in 1966, has exhibited in Istanbul, Berlin, New York, and Venice, working across painting, conceptual art, and constructive sculpture.