Opening of the Berggruen Institute Europe Headquarters, Casa dei Tre Oci

After eight months of restoration work in the iconic Casa dei Tre Oci, the Berggruen Institute Europe opened its doors to the public on March 23, 2024.

The building, which was previously a venue for photographic exhibitions, regained its connotation as a "home," becoming a hub for meetings and dialogues between researchers and thinkers from diverse disciplines and cultures. On the ground floor and first floor, the Palazzo will host conferences, symposia, lectures and cultural exhibitions. The second floor will be devoted to residences for thinkers, including a dedicated residency for Chinese intellectuals, enshrining the role of the European center as a bridge between East and West.

The opening offered an opportunity for the institute to introduce itself to the city of Venice and to connect to its dense institutional network. In addition to its global outreach program, the institute is committed to creating authentic connections with local institutions and the city and community of Venice. As stated by co-founder Nicolas Berggruen, Venice is a "world city" that transcends its roots, a place where people from all over the world gather to admire art, culture, and beauty. Collaborations with locals are important in the context of the institute's mission to ensure that Venice becomes, once again, a place for creation and development of ideas”.

The European Center will advance a continuous programme in 2024 centered around three main pillars: planetary thinking and the philosophy of geopolitics; Europe as a planetary laboratory; and the promotion of intellectual exchange between Europe and China.

Video credits: Giorgio Silvestri
Photo credits: Massimo Pistore