Built in the fifteenth century, the gothic Palazzo Fortuny, once the property of the Pesaro family, gains its name from the Spanish furniture designer Mariano Fortuny who owned it and used it as an atelier at the beginning of the twentieth century and whose wife donated it to the city of Venice after his death.  The building is largely unrestored and gently decaying, which gives it a unique atmosphere, with two piano nobile floors of impressive reception rooms in between more utilitarian ground and top floors.

This summer all four floors are overflowing with one of the best art exhibitions in Venice or indeed Italy, “Intuition” by the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation with works from their own astonishing collection ranging from the prehistoric era to 2017 with modern and contemporary artists including Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley, Pablo Picasso and Eduardo Chillida.

Breaking the modern art gallery conventions of white walls, here they are black and dark with many works hung on the gently decaying brick or plaster walls of the historic palazzo.  This is like exploring a house of treasures, a massive cabinet of curiosities.  It is worth visiting Venice for this exhibition alone.

“When the body functions spontaneously, that is called instinct. When the soul functions spontaneously, that is called intuition.”  (Shree Rajnesh)