MILAN — In a verdant courtyard corniced by the domes of Venice’s Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, yacht maker Sanlorenzo found a respite from the shipyards to which it is accustomed.
On Tuesday, the Italian yacht-maker that specializes in ultra luxury made-to-measure vessels, feted the opening of Casa Sanlorenzo, a new cultural hub housed in a 1940s home formerly owned by the famed Toso glassmaking family. It was recently restored by Sanlorenzo’s artistic director, architect Piero Lissoni and his studio Lissoni & Partners. The space is indicative of the company’s efforts to take on a more active cultural role and links the worlds of design and art to pave the way for a new wave of creativity.
It isn’t the first time Sanlorenzo has stepped onto the art scene. In 2018, it was the first shipyard to participate at Art Basel. In 2022 it presented “Tempo Piegato” (Italian for “folded time”), a work of art by Italian artist Arcangelo Sassolino. That same year, the firm also became the main sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at Venice’s Art Biennial.
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“We have also presented works by young artists to help them launch themselves [on the global scene]. This made us delve deeper into the world of art and this ignited my own passion as well,” Sanlorenzo executive chairman Massimo Perotti told WWD in an interview, explaining that the opening coincided with Venice Climate Week, of which it is also a main sponsor. Sanlorenzo was also a participant in the Venice Boat Show, which ran May 29-June 2.
“In an increasingly virtual world, we wanted to invest in presence, in meaningful encounters, and in shared experiences. Because we believe that authenticity requires substance, time and human connection. And Venice is the perfect place for this project,” Perotti said.
Works currently on display include pieces by a variety of Italian artists like Alighiero Boetti, Lucio Fontana, Sassolino and Marco Palmieri, as well as German painter Emil Michael Klein.
Perotti, whose family is Sanlorenzo’s majority shareholder, turned one third of the ’40s-era building with views of the Grand Canal into an apartment area for his own family.
Lissoni together with his studio Lissoni & Partners updated the space that spans almost 11,000 square feet and hosts a garden of about 6,500 square feet, as well as the private apartment which covers more than 7,000 square feet. The garden and gallery space were built to host exhibitions and shows throughout the year.
Lissoni, known for his grand projects around the world including the Dorothea hotel complex in Budapest, and the Hotel Aka in New York City and Alexandria, Va., told WWD his aim was to create a pure atmosphere, removing decorative elements inside the space. He was also tasked with the complex challenge of building a bridge — his first — and a glass staircase, the architect recalled highlighting the architectural challenges related to humidity and the salty atmosphere.
“I’m very proud of it [the bridge] because they haven’t built many new bridges in Venice. I join a line of super-illustrious predecessors,” he said explaining the pathway connects the arts center to the Dorsoduro neighborhood that is also home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
“Besides connecting two different points, the bridge connects different worlds. It is no coincidence that the expressions ‘creating cultural bridges’ and ‘making human bridges’ are used. This bridge for me is not simply a vehicle to transport people, but a cultural bridge, an ideal bridge.”
Made entirely of prefabricated metal and already assembled, the bridge features a surface of Istrian stone treated to prevent slipping, and a wooden handrail crafted to resemble an oar, to highlight the connection with the water. Its “humpback” shape is reminiscent of medieval bridges, while the metal arch expresses a simple, linear aesthetic.
Based in Ameglia, Italy, Sanlorenzo is one of the world’s largest made-to-measure yacht-makers by sales and by length. In 2024, it posted net revenues of 930.4 million euros, up by 10.7 percent compared to 2023.
In August of last year, it revealed that it agreed to buy 100 percent of Nautor Swan, the sailing yacht firm Leonardo Ferragamo had owned since 1998.
