Futurism: from the Ca' Pisani Hotel to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Speed, becoming and movement in space are the main cornerstones of Futurism, a current born in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century that has involved all the arts, from painting to sculpture, from literature to music, and then spread also in the lifestyle of its enthusiasts. In cooking, for example, the Futurists rejected the recipes and terms traditionally used in this field, and created polybibites (which are nowadays called cocktails) such as Inventina, and formulas (substitute term for recipe) with really bizarre names (divorced eggs, drunk calf, likeacloud, etc.). You can taste some of them in our La Rivista Restaurant and you will find others in the 2020 and 2023 calendars of the Serandrei family, a tradition that has been handed on since 1981.

Depero at Ca' Pisani

Futurism was one of the reasons behind the foundation of the Ca' Pisani Hotel: Ugo Serandrei, 4th generation hotelier and father of the current owners, had bought authentic Depero’s artworks and, looking for an original and not obvious place for their exhibition, conceived a particular hotel different from the Venetian hotel scene of that time. Thus the first design hotel in Venice, with the help of architects, designers and collectors, was born.

You can admire the original works of art by Fortunato Depero upon check-in, during breakfast and on your way to the room.

In the reception hall you can admire "Listen - Stop - Look" (1930), tempera and Indian ink on paper. When having breakfast, the eye will be enraptured by the bright colors of "La Rivista" (1925), the work the restaurant takes its name from. The color continues to amaze even in the second piece on display in this room, the collage of cards “Portatore – Tazza” (1929/1931). Finally, the artwork "Dalla serie Balli Plastici" (1925) hangs on the main staircase leading to the first floor.

Futurism on display at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Futurism was a movement of total change that broke with the past and so important that even the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of the most prestigious European and American art museums of the twentieth century in Italy, dedicates a special section to it.

From our hotel you can quickly reach this extraordinary gallery (just 4 minutes on foot) to continue your stay dictated by art. You will come across Giacomo Balla's oil on panel (1871 - 1958) "Velocità astratta + rumore" (1913-14). Here the artist studies the impact of the speed of a car in the natural environment, also representing its noise, as onomatopoeia plays a great role (which is the reason why you can find these sounds on our website). To highlight how the pictorial reality expands into outer space, the brushstrokes come out of the canvas and involve the frame. “Mare = Ballerina” by Gino Severini (1883 - 1966), which is from the same year, is inspired by the sea of Anzio and represents the fusion between a ballerina's dress and the waves of the sea with brushstrokes of colors deriving from Neo-Impressionism. Also in this case the force of the sea is so disruptive as to involve the frame. You will have the chance to admire the sculpture “Dinamismo di un cavallo in corsa + case” (1915) by Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916). The artist uses different materials and blends the piece of art with the surrounding environment: horse and house are visually imperceptible and create a new entity.

Other futurist masterpieces are present in the archives and have been shown in various temporary exhibitions in the past. We hope they can also be the subject of future events because the richness of the Guggenheim Collection and the originality of Futurism create a really valuable combination for every art lover.