CHIHULY: VENICE 2026

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the landmark project

Chihuly Over Venice

To honor that milestone, Chihuly returned to Venice to debut

CHIHULY: Venice 2026,

presented

by Pilchuck Glass School and Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

The exhibition featured three new sculptures installed along the Grand Canal, honoring Venice, the place that fundamentally shaped Chihuly’s career. There is also an interpretive and archival center at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, running concurrently with the Venice Biennale.

All three monumental outdoor works are visible from the Accademia Bridge,

known for its panoramic views of the Grand Canal.

These new works extend the formal vocabulary Chihuly developed in the decades leading up to and following

Chihuly Over Venice.

The 30' Gold Tower (2025) in Palazzo Franchetti’s garden invited visitors to experience the intricate nature of the artwork and closely view the new forms created specifically for this Venetian presentation.

The Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti at Palazzo Loredan, in Campo Santo Stefano is adjacent to the installations and houses an interpretive and archival centre.

In this intimate setting, drawings, photographs, videos, and documentation chart the evolution of Chihuly’s process; the making of Chihuly Over Venice; and the artist’s lifelong engagement with experimentation, collaboration, and risk.

Archival materials and selected artworks ground the outdoor installations in narrative,

history, and material practice.

Huge thanks to the Chihuly Studio for hosting us during the Biennale, the talks, dinners, lunches and private tours were world class Leslie Chihuly and the team were a delight to work with,

thank you for making it such a magical week.