EXHIBITION REVIEW
A solo exhibition by Maria Elena Lavie
September 17 – 25, 2026
ITSLIQUID Art Space – San Marco, Venice

ITSLIQUID Group is proud to celebrate the success of the solo exhibition by Venezuelan painter and sculptor Maria Elena Lavie (1925-2016), staged within the 25th edition of the Venice International Art Fair. The exhibition opened on September 17 in the Sala degli Stucchi at Palazzo Pisani Revedin, bringing together seven works that trace the artist’s singular visual language across decades of continuous transformation.

Curated by Luca Curci and co-curated by Giulia Tassi, the works on view were selected from across Lavie’s extensive production for their particular resonance with the space, offering international visitors a focused encounter with the dialogue between her painting and the refined architecture of the Palazzo.

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The Sala degli Stucchi takes its name from the ornamental plasterwork that frames its walls: pale blue-green panels rise beneath the cornices and a hand-painted frieze, while tall windows dressed in sheer curtains and gold-trimmed pelmets let natural light fall across the antique terrazzo floor. These details give the room the feel of a private salon rather than a conventional gallery space, and provide an elegant backdrop for the intensity of Lavie’s paintings.

That tension is precisely what makes the pairing work. Lavie’s paintings – moving between the carnival figures and masked characters that marked her early production, the mythological imagery she returned to throughout her career, such as her recurring Pegasus, and the boldly chromatic, almost sculptural compositions of her maturity – bring a saturated, gestural energy into a room defined by pastel restraint and gilded detail. Set against the soft blues and greens of the Sala degli Stucchi, her reds, ochres and cobalts read with even greater force, while the room’s antique elegance grounds the works in a dialogue between historic Venetian architecture and Lavie’s own synthesis of Venezuelan, European and Pre-Columbian visual traditions.

Across more than five decades of practice, Lavie built a vocabulary defined by constant reinvention: from figuration to abstraction and back, from marine scenes to monumental flowers, from mythological subjects to still lifes charged with symbolic weight, earning international recognition including honors at the Osaka International Festival of Design and Graphic Arts. This presentation at Palazzo Pisani Revedin honors that restless creative spirit, placing seven key works in a space whose own history of craftsmanship and detail mirrors the rigor and sensuality of Lavie‘s art, and inviting visitors to Venice International Art Fair 2026 to discover, or rediscover, one of Venezuelan modernism’s most distinctive voices.

organized by ITSLIQUID Group
curator Luca Curci
associate curator Giulia Tassi

EXHIBITION DAYS
September 17 – 25, 2026
Tuesday – Sunday | 10.30 AM – 01.30 PM and 02.30 PM – 06.00 PM

Palazzo Pisani-Revedin
S. Marco, 4013A , 30124 Venice, Italy

Maria Elena Lavie – About

Maria Elena Lavie (1925–2016) was born in Carúpano, Venezuela, and raised in La Guaira. Drawn first to medicine, she turned to art after studying under Pedro Centeno Valenilla and Francisco Narváez, earning her BFA from Caracas’ Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in 1946. She continued her training in Paris at l’École des Beaux-Arts, absorbing the influence of Picasso and European modernism. Returning to Venezuela in 1950, she built a career spanning marinas, harlequins, informalist collage, mythological themes (notably her recurring Pegasus), and pure abstraction, before turning decisively toward the monumental flowers and fruits that defined her mature style. She exhibited widely – Paris, Osaka, New York, Mexico City, Monaco – winning international honors including gold at the 1981 Osaka Festival of Design and Graphic Arts. Her work remains a vivid dialogue between Venezuelan identity, sensuality, and constant stylistic reinvention.

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ABOUT US

ITSLIQUID Group is an international contemporary art platform connecting artists, curators, galleries, institutions, and creative professionals through exhibitions, art fairs, festivals, competitions, and cultural projects.

Founded in 2001 by Luca Curci, ITSLIQUID has developed a network of cultural partners worldwide, with exhibition spaces in Venice, Rome, London, and Barcelona.

ITSLIQUID offers a comprehensive range of services for creatives, including solo and group shows, dedicated interviews, featured articles, and online contests. The aim is to use new technologies to make art accessible globally and connect artists from around the world.

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ITSLIQUID Group manages a variety of art spaces all over the world; among them, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello in Venice and different historical buildings, ELEMENTS Contemporary Art Space in the London city centre and other partners worldwide. Since 2001, ITSLIQUID Group has organised over 350 international events, engaging more than 10,000 artists across over 60 global venues. Its initiatives have featured prestigious museums like the CCCB – Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona in Spain, the NCCA – National Center for Contemporary Arts in Moscow, the MuMo – Museum Montanelli in Prague, and the MUST Museum in Lecce, in addition to numerous galleries and private foundations. Thanks to its partnership with Sedition, ITSLIQUID has presented masters such as Bill Viola and Refik Anadol, offering high-level opportunities for young, mid-career, and renowned artists.

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