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 Monday, Armenian-Lebanese interior designer Chahan Minassian shared his third reimagination of the Fortuny Palazzina with WWD. The 1950s-era property is situated adjacent to the secretive Fortuny textiles factory. The curation, executed with Minassian’s own Brutalist flourish, will be unveiled on the occasion of the Venice Art Biennale 2026, which kicks off May 9.
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 townhouse was open to the broader design community with Minassian’s first tailor-made textile creations with the brand on display for all to see.
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“The third Fortuny + Chahan curation has been empowered by important vintage furniture collections mixed with Chahan design novelties as glass, bronze and furniture new designs. There is also the integration of our strong artists such as Arne Quinze and Joana Vasconcelos, and Eric Croes juxtaposing my view of Brutalism,” Minassian told WWD.
Minassian also incorporated the new Fortuny textile collection named “Polpo” (Italian for octopus), as well as pieces from the Canal Grande collection, including furniture and Murano glass lighting — both of which mirror the natural wonders of the Venetian lagoon. These new creations have been placed in conversation with a curation of vintage furniture by Paul Evans and Vladimir Kagan. The latter began to make furniture in the 1950s with a firm that made shopping carts and another that made fire escapes.
In what Minassian calls his “embassy,” various rooms were curated with the artwork of Portuguese visual artist Vasconcelos and Belgian artist Quinze, alongside pieces provided by the Sorry We’re Closed gallery in Belgium and tapestry work by French upholstery atelier Phelippeau Tapissier.
Pioneering a New Era
Fortuny’s legacy is being 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. Together they are working on expanding the firm’s online presence and conveying Fortuny’s history among new generations.
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 for its innovative textiles and timeless designs that have been integrated into the collections of modern-day designers like Rick Owens. Maged Riad acquired the firm from Countess Gozzi, the American interior designer who Mariano Fortuny had designated as his single representative in the U.S. She died in 1994.
The Venetian Chapter
Minassian, who made Venice his home eight 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 Furstenberg in Palazzo Brandolini-Giustinian. The move to Venice has been fruitful, Minassian told WWD.
“For our eighth year of visibility in Venice… with our Venetian interior design projects, Venetian inspired collection of furniture, lighting and Murano glass know-hows, and also exhibition existence, has really been continuously boosting our activity, and opening quite an international market…,” he said.