A new Palazzo delle Arti e delle Culture – Collecto is opening in Venice at Palazzo Erizzo Ligabue, a 15th-century palace on the Grand Canal. The initiative, spearheaded by Inti Ligabue (45), son of the late paleontologist and entrepreneur Giancarlo Ligabue, will open to the public from May 7 to May 24, 2026, offering guided tours of a collection of over 400 pieces spanning from 4.5-billion-year-old fossils to contemporary works by artists such as Arcangelo Sassolino, Nico Vascellari, and Giorgio Andreotta Calò. The project builds on the Fondazione Giancarlo Ligabue, established in 2016 from the original Centro Studi founded in 1973, and will feature a residency by artist Marta Spagnoli.
This matters because it represents a new model for private cultural institutions in Venice, blending a historic residence, a living collection, and intimate, curator-led visitor experiences. By juxtaposing ancient artifacts with contemporary art and emphasizing thematic connections over chronology, the Palazzo delle Arti e delle Culture aims to create a more immersive and dialogic relationship with the public, potentially influencing how other historic palazzi approach cultural programming and accessibility.