25 Years La Galleria Venezia

In 2001, galerist and art historian Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen fulfilled a long-cherished dream: she opened a branch of her Mainz gallery in Venice.

Fabrizio Plessi – a Venetian by choice, pioneer of video art and artist represented by the gallery – helped find the property and created his magnificent video work Omaggio a Venezia specifically for the opening; it was, without a doubt, the centerpiece of the opening exhibition at the time.

Spiritual guidance was also provided: Jesuit Father Friedhelm Mennekes blessed the gallery while wearing a chasuble designed by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida specifically for him.

Twenty-five years have passed since then, and numerous exciting and highly acclaimed exhibitions – often tied to the respective Venice Biennale – have been presented and admired.

Now we are celebrating the past 25 years with an anniversary exhibition titled Art beyond Boundaries. Numerous artists from a wide variety of countries and generations, working with different techniques, materials, and artistic strategies, are participating in the exhibition, thereby demonstrating the potential of art to transcend boundaries.

The anniversary address was delivered by cultural journalist Bettina Victoria Countess von Pfeil, who was also present at the gallery’s opening 25 years ago. And for all art lovers who were unable to celebrate this joyous occasion with us in Venice, we have recorded the opening festivities at the gallery and are presenting them to you in our Video of the Week. We hope you enjoy watching it and look forward to welcoming you in person soon at our gallery in the City of the Lagoon.