SMAC San Marco Art Centre

Mission

SMAC San Marco Art Centre is a new arts centre in Piazza San Marco, Venice.

Every year San Marco Art Centre presents a dynamic and vibrant programme of exceptional exhibitions across art, architecture, design, fashion and film, offering opportunities for discovery for specialists and the general public alike.

Situated in one of the most iconic locations in the world, San Marco Art Centre is located on Piazza San Marco inside the Procuratie, recently restored by Pritzker-prize winning architect David Chipperfield.

Across its 16 galleries, SMAC San Marco Art Centre’s programme sheds light on the unexpected, challenges conventions and poses rigorous questions. Through research, dialogue, and experimentation, SMAC critically examines contemporary visual culture and its relation with history, science, philosophy, and society.

San Marco Art Centre is a spontaneous and experimental organisation that tests traditional models of arts institutions and exhibition making. It welcomes collaboration, providing institutions, artists, and creative practitioners with a platform in Venice.

The institution is rooted in the belief that the arts are more important than ever to the human experience, opening new possibilities for co-existence and allowing cities and communities to thrive.

The Building

The Procuratie opened to the public in 2022 for the first time in 500 years, following a major restoration by David Chipperfield commissioned by Generali and orchestrated by Generali Real Estate. The second floor houses SMAC San Marco Art Centre. The third floor houses The Home of The Human Safety Net, a Foundation working in 26 countries to unlock the potential of those living in vulnerable conditions.

Originally called “Procuratie Vecchie” it is part of three connected buildings along the perimeter of Saint Mark’s Square. The first building of the Procuratie Vecchie was constructed in the 12th century under Doge Sebastiano Ziani to house the offices and headquarters of the Procurators of St. Mark. A part of this older building can be seen in Giovanni Bellini’s painting Procession in St. Mark’s Square, which is held at the Gallerie dell’Accademia. This building was destroyed by a fire in the early 16th century.

The reconstruction of the new Procuratie Vecchie was completed in 1538 architects Bartolomeo Bon and Jacopo Sansovino. The work was carried out as part of Doge Andrea Gritti’s Renovatio Urbis program, and gave the building the appearance it still has today.

Generali insurance company, founded in late 1831 in Trieste, opened its first office in Venice within the Procuratie Vecchie in 1832. Over time, the company gradually acquired large portions of the building, eventually owning 85% of it—a share it still holds today. The Procuratie Vecchie remained the company’s headquarters in Venice until 1989.

In 2017, Generali commissioned David Chipperfield Architects to restore the building. The project lasted five years, and included the first, second and third floors, as well as restoration of some of the historical decorative elements, including renaissance beams and Napoleonic-era frescoes. The third floor was opened to the public in 2022, and with the establishment of SMAC in 2024 the second floor was also opened to the public, making it the first time the building is accessible to the public in 500 years.

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Mission

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