Once Secretive Textile Firm Fortuny Opens Up With Works by Pierre Sabatier, Harumi Klossowska de Rola

MILAN — The rarely seen home of the late American Elsie McNeill Lee, the Countess Gozzi, has opened its doors to the broader design community once again.

On Wednesday, Armenian Lebanese interior designer Chahan Minassian and Fortuny unveiled the second reimagination of the Fortuny Palazzina, situated adjacent to the secretive Fortuny textiles factory on the occasion of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.

Since the Venice Art Biennale of 2024, the countess’ former estate has partnered with Minassian’s Paris-based Chahan Gallery as its exclusive Venice location. It was the first time the grandiose town house was open to the broader design community with Minassian’s first tailor-made textile creations with the brand on display for all to see.

For the second edition, Minassian told WWD he embraced a Brutalist vibe, incorporating French sculptor Pierre Sabatier’s signature acid wall reliefs and artist and designer Harumi Klossowska de Rola’s animal sculptures, alongside furniture covered in Armonia, Minassian’s first textile capsule with Fortuny.

“To be in line with the new Architectural Biennale season, it was important for me to line up with an architectural scale interior design and curation. It’s also important to inspire our visitors and fans with a new and different installation,” Minassian told WWD, explaining that he has been a long time admirer of Sabatier’s walls and has amassed various pieces in his own personal collection.

The Armonia textile collection includes variations with names like Hexa and Delphia — the latter is named after the original Fortuny fabric Delphi, which was designed by Fortuny’s founder in the early 20th century and was originally named after the ancient Greek city where the temple and theater of Apollo are located.

In what Minassian calls his “embassy,” various rooms were curated with large Brutalist architectural panels by Sabatier, each one unique in terms of materials, textures and graphics. New works from Klossowska de Rola’s Animalier collection infused the Brutalist atmosphere with a human touch, Minassian said.

Fortuny, whose iconic dresses like the Delphos were coveted by yesteryear icons like Isadora Duncan and Oona Chaplin, was founded in 1921 by artist and inventor Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo. His label continues to resonate worldwide for its innovative textiles and timeless designs that have been integrated into the collections of modern-day designers like Rick Owens. Its legacy was revitalized by brothers Mickey and Maury Riad, the firm’s creative director and chief executive officer, respectively, who inherited the company from their father, Maged Riad, in 1998. Maged Riad acquired the firm from Countess Gozzi, the American interior designer whom Mariano Fortuny had designated as his single representative in the U.S. She died in 1994.

Minassian, who made Venice his home six years ago, represents the city’s ongoing cultural wave, ushering in new international residents to Venice’s shores, repopulating it with a dynamic residential cultural fabric. Since then, he’s injected his flair into Venetian jewels like Abbazia San Gregorio, a former Benedictine abbey and the home of Diane von Furstenburg in Palazzo Brandolini-Giustinian.

With strategic partnerships and forward-looking projects, Fortuny is focused on international growth and launched its e-commerce business last year. “We’re ready for the next chapter. We are working on having more finished pieces that clients can purchase and we are growing our e-commerce availability. We want people to bring a piece of Venice home, using our fabrics to create items that have a purpose and help elevate people’s environment,” Mickey Riad said at the time, adding that the firm is constantly working on research and development of new techniques and materials.

Riad also said the firm is focused on turning the Palazzina into a hub for the broader design community. Visits to the ongoing exhibit titled “The Reimagining of the Palazzina” in collaboration with Minassian can be booked on the Fortuny website. The Venice Architecture Biennale will run from Saturday to Nov. 23.