A Closer Look At Venice's New Photography Museum

It’s believed that there are more than 100,000 museums in the world. Even if you’re a museum buff, the chances are you’ll never get to visit them all during your life. Who has the time? However, just because such an achievement might not be possible, that doesn’t mean you can’t still try to see as many of them as possible. After all, there are a ton that deserve your attention, plenty of which aren’t even in the US.

That includes Le Stanze della Fotografia, a new addition to Venice that opened on San Giorgio Maggiore in 2023. Requiring a ride on the city’s waterbus to reach, the museum is considered a temple to photography and is one of the best cultural spots to visit here. Exactly what can you expect during a visit, though? It could be time to take a closer look at Venice’s new photography museum to find out.

Le Stanze della Fotografia lives in a former warehouse and boarding school

After catching a waterbus from San Zaccaria to San Giorgio Maggiore and reaching St Mark’s Square, you’ll encounter Le Stanze della Fotografia. Housed in a building that was previously a warehouse and a boarding school, the two-floor museum has been wonderfully restored to house some of the finest photography. You’ll be greeted by an ample open space with vaulted ceilings and expansive windows that offer a view of the lagoon you could easily mistake for another photograph. However, in order to appreciate this, you’ll first need to tear your eyes away from the actual photography that fills this gorgeous building. That’s harder to do than you might think.

Plenty of talented photographers have had their works showcased at the museum

Le Stanze della Fotografia is a passion project that stems from a collaboration between Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Marsilio Arte. The former possesses one of the biggest photography collections in Europe, while the latter has been responsible for showcasing the works of some of the world’s finest photographers. The inaugural exhibition at the museum featured the works of Ugo Mulas, with other photographic artists like Alessandra Chemollo, Sabine Weiss, and Paolo Pellegrin also being showcased since. Spring 2024 is set to see the works of Helmut Newton get the attention they deserve, with other exhibitions to be announced in time. Even if you don’t know these names, their photography is still something to admire.

The museum has actually been around in some form for over a decade

Although Le Stanze della Fotografia might have only opened in 2023, it’s actually been around for more than a decade. Initially, the project was a series of temporary photography exhibitions in the Casa dei Tre Oci, hosted by Marsilio. The museum only moved when the original location was purchased, which is how Arte came to collaborate with the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, leading to this wonderful spot that we have today. Denis Curti, the artistic director of Le Stanze della Fotografia, is glad that the museum has come so far. He said that Venice once had an “institutional void” when it came to showcasing and nurturing photography, but things have now changed for the better.

If you’re the kind of person who loves to explore museums and you’re thinking of an Italian vacation in the near future, Le Stanze Della Fotografia is definitely somewhere worth visiting. Not only will you discover some exceptional photography, but the island of San Giorgio also has plenty of other historical landmarks that should capture your interest. Just make sure you don’t try to visit the museum on Wednesdays, as that’s typically the only day it’s closed.