Punta della Dogana | contemporary art center

The Punta della Dogana is a contemporary art center in Venice, managed by the François Pinault Foundation, and housed in a 17th century building renovated in 2009.

The complex was built  in the 15^th century to accommodate the Sea Customs House of Venice, called in Venetian dialect Dogana del Mar, which was formerly located at the Arsenale.
The Dogana’s triangular construction sits on the tip of an island which projects into the lagoon and divides the Grand Canal from the Giudecca Canal (hence its name: punta means headland in Italian). The building we see today was completed in 1682 after a design by architect Giuseppe Benoni.

Aerial view of the “Punta della Dogana” in Venice with its peculiar triangular shape; photo by Sébastien Bertrand

In 2009, the building was refurbished by the François Pinault Foundation, after a design by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and converted into a center for major exhibitions of contemporary art.

The renovated Punta della Dogana, interior view; photo by Guillaume Meunier

Punta della Dogana is part of a larger project, developed in Venice by the Pinault Foundation, which also including the Palazzo Grassi, restored and re-opened in 2006, and the “Teatrino”, inaugurated in 2013 as a conference, concerts and meeting center.

Cover image by Romain Moisescot. Additional photos: 1 and 2 by Lux & Jourik; 3 and 4 by g.sighele