PALAZZO MONTI, NEW BEGINNINGS FOR ARTIST RESIDENCY IN 13TH CENTURY ITALIAN PALAZZO

Edoardo Monti, a fashion industry veteran, collector and curator, envisioned a place distinct from other artist residencies—a safe space, open to artists of all disciplines including and perhaps especially for those artists who don’t often seek out the ‘residency’ experience: designers, poets and performing artists. In 2016, while living in New York, he began developing a concept that would turn his family’s 13th century palazzo in Brescia, Italy, into an immersive non-profit artist residency.  “Perhaps the distance from the beautiful country made me realize the importance of our origins, of the precious artisan tradition that has always distinguished us … of how much all this deserves to be told and also experienced by internationally renowned artists.” Although the palazzo is removed from cultural centers such as Milan and Rome, the location offers visiting national and international artists an opportunity to take in the energy and inspiration of both immediate 1750’s frescos that line the ceilings of the palazzo, as well as access to local materials like marble, metal, wood and bronze casting provided by traditional artisans just 15 minutes away in the city center of Brescia. 

For Edoardo Monti, the experience of sharing the recently renovated palazzo with residents has always been physical: being together, the sharing of ideas, family style dinner, touching, the sharing of space is pivotal to Palazzo Monti’s philosophy. Since 2018, Edoardo committed to living full time at the Palazzo, which meant living with and interacting with the residents on a daily basis. And since the pandemic, it also meant a doubling down on this notion of experience and interaction, which has only led to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of how to best support residents in their journey after Palazzo Monti.