Dior becomes key donor for Venice Biennale 2022, plans opening charity dinner

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Apr 19, 2022

The house of Dior has become a key donor for the Venice Biennale, which starts this week after being postponed for one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dior will also stage a special gala dinner on Saturday, April 23, the opening day of the six-month long Biennale inside Venice’s Teatro La Fenice,  where a portion of the funds raised will be donated to Ukrainian refugees in Italy.
 
This marks the 59th edition of the International Art Exhibition, curator this time by Cecilia Alemani, who has entitled the Biennale Arte 2022 as The Milk of Dreams.

Alemani, a close friend of Dior Couture Chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari, conceived this biennale as an imaginary journey through the metamorphosis of bodies and the multiple definitions of the human. This edition will unveil the work of 213 artists – many of them female and non-gender specific - from 58 countries.
 
“Dior has forged countless ties with the art world since its foundation. This passion, instilled by Monsieur Christian Dior and anchored in our DNA, encourages us more than ever to promote art and culture in all their forms. A desire that is reflected today through this donation, which also expresses the unwavering friendship between Dior and Italy,” said  Beccari.

The latest Biennale, which will run until November 27, features creatives like feminist artist Tomaso Binga, who has collaborated on runway set designs with Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of womenswear at Dior.
 
The Dior dinner’s other goal is to benefit the preservation of Venice’s cultural legacy and aid the restoration of Ca’ d’Oro museum, one of the most beautiful palazzos on the Grand Canal.
 
This is the latest example of the Paris fashion house joining forces with Venetian Heritage, a non-profit organization based in Venice and New York, whose president and chairman is Peter Marino, the architect behind most Dior boutiques, most brilliantly the recent restoration of the brand’s Avenue Montaigne flagship in Paris.

“The history of the House has always been closely linked to that of the art world. This fascination, sparked by Christian Dior, nourishes our imagination, inspires us every day to spread our passion for culture. This benefit evening, which is especially dear to us – and at time when it strikes us as essential to help the Ukrainian refugees in Italy – once again expresses the unwavering friendship between Dior and Venetian Heritage, an exceptional, committed, and emblematic partner,” added Beccari.
 
Back in 2019, Dior  hosted a magnificent ball in Tiepolo Ball at Palazzo Labia. A previous party in 1951 in the same building hosted by Carlos de Bestigui was dubbed The Party of the Century.
 
“This year, the funds raised through Dior’s dinner will go towards the renovation of the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro museum, which belongs to the Italian Ministry of Culture – a unique project celebrating beauty in all its forms,” noted Toto Bergamo Rossi, director of the Venetian Heritage Foundation.
 
In a related move, Dior commissioned an 82-year-old Venetian video artist Fabrizio Plessi to reinterpret the Lady Dior bag. Plessi reimagined the brand’s iconic bag by embellishing it in 24-karat gold leaf sourced from the Orsoni Venezia 1888 furnace. Plessi’s Lady Dior bag will be displayed inside Dior’s Venice flagship.