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Casa Sanlorenzo in Venice, a dialogue between craftsmanship, design and contemporary culture

Casa Sanlorenzo hosts Homo Faber in Città in Venice, with exhibitions dedicated to craftsmanship, design and contemporary culture

Sanlorenzo Arts brings craftsmanship, materials and creativity together at Casa Sanlorenzo through a programme connecting Italy and Luxembourg

Casa Sanlorenzo was created as a permanent cultural space, yet its connection with the world of yachting remains clear even when yachts, shipyards and new models are not the main subject. From 1 to 30 September 2026, the Venice venue becomes the principal location of Homo Faber in Città, the city-wide programme curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship.

The collaboration goes beyond simply hosting an exhibition. For Sanlorenzo, craftsmanship, materials, design and manufacturing expertise belong to the same cultural universe that has always surrounded yacht building. The Venice project therefore turns Casa Sanlorenzo into a place where making is presented as a form of contemporary culture.

Venice as a meeting point between materials and creativity

The journey begins with The Integrity of Materials, an installation created in collaboration with Artemest and positioned at the entrance to Casa Sanlorenzo beside the glass staircase that has become one of the building’s distinctive features.

Four contemporary objects made by Venetian artisans introduce visitors to a central theme: the value of materials when they are shaped with precision, knowledge and sensitivity.

The emphasis is not simply on manual skill, but on the ability of materials, expertise and design to create objects with a lasting identity. It is a philosophy that naturally connects with yachting, where wood, metals, fabrics, surfaces and details remain essential to the final experience and continue to depend heavily on human craftsmanship.

Ca’ Riflesso, an imagined Venetian home shaped by craftsmanship

One of the two main exhibitions hosted at Casa Sanlorenzo is Ca’ Riflesso, curated by Artemest.

The installation transforms the interiors into the imagined Venetian home of a collector, bringing together furniture, lighting, decorative objects and artworks by more than 50 Italian artisans. Particular attention is given to makers from Venice and the Veneto region, creating a narrative built around materials, light and human presence.

Rather than presenting a simple sequence of individual pieces, Ca’ Riflesso recreates an environment where contemporary design coexists with artisanal knowledge, techniques and traditions. The result is a vision of craftsmanship not as nostalgia, but as a language still capable of producing new forms.

Fiat Lux, light reveals the value of making

Alongside the Italian tradition is Fiat Lux, presented by De Mains De Maîtres Luxembourg.

The exhibition brings together more than 60 works by Luxembourg artisans and uses light both as a subject and as an expressive medium. Through different materials and techniques, the project explores craftsmanship as a form of knowledge, experimentation and cultural identity.

It is also a particularly timely reflection. In a world where an increasing number of creative and production processes are becoming digital, Fiat Lux returns attention to precision, individuality and the ability of materials to reveal the work that transformed them.

Sanlorenzo and a design culture extending beyond yachts

The partnership with Homo Faber in Città comes during the tenth anniversary of Sanlorenzo Arts, the cultural platform established in 2016.

Over the years, the shipyard has developed relationships with the worlds of art, design and architecture through international projects and partnerships. These have included its role as Global Host Partner of Art Basel from 2018 to 2023, its support for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and its position as Main Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

In 2020 Sanlorenzo also received the ADI Compasso d’Oro for the installation Il mare a Milano at La Triennale, while in 2025 Casa Sanlorenzo opened as the permanent home of its cultural activities.

A house overlooking the cultural heart of Venice

Casa Sanlorenzo occupies a 1940s villa overlooking the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. The building was restored and reimagined with the contribution of Piero Lissoni to become a year-round space for exhibitions, research and dialogue.

Its opening allowed Sanlorenzo to move beyond the temporary nature of fairs and events, establishing a permanent cultural presence in Venice.

The inaugural exhibition, Breathtaking by Fabrizio Ferri, explored ocean pollution through photography. Homo Faber in Città now expands that cultural programme by turning attention towards craftsmanship, creativity and material culture.

Craftsmanship as a contemporary language

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the initiative is the way Sanlorenzo interprets craftsmanship.

It is not presented simply as heritage to preserve, but as a living language capable of connecting memory, innovation and creativity. This helps explain why a yacht builder can naturally become part of a project such as Homo Faber.

A yacht itself is born from the meeting of advanced design and highly specialised work where human expertise continues to play a decisive role. Interior design, joinery, material processing, lighting and finishing all belong to a culture of detail closely related to the one explored in the exhibitions at Casa Sanlorenzo.

From the sea to the city without changing identity

Bringing this reflection into the heart of Venice allows Sanlorenzo to broaden its story without actually moving away from its own world.

Casa Sanlorenzo is not a showroom and Homo Faber in Città is not a product presentation. This is precisely what makes the initiative interesting for those who follow yachting: it offers another way of observing the values of design, material quality and craftsmanship that are normally experienced on board.

Between Venice, art and design culture, the sea remains in the background. Not simply as a setting, but as part of an identity that Sanlorenzo continues to carry beyond its yachts.

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Sanlorenzo

28 August 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
Casa Sanlorenzo in Venice, a dialogue between craftsmanship, design and contemporary culture
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