Horst P. Horst and Ertuğ at the Rooms of Photography in Venice
The Rooms of Photography, on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, open the new exhibition season with two events of international importance dedicated to Horst P. Horst and Ahmet Ertuğ.
From 21 February 2026, the Venetian space confirms itself as a reference point for photographic culture, proposing a dialogue between fashion, architecture and historical heritage in one of the most evocative settings of the lagoon.
Horst P. Horst. The Geometry of Grace
21 February – 5 July 2026
Curated by Anne Morin in collaboration with Denis Curti, the exhibition represents the largest retrospective ever dedicated to the famous photographer. Over 400 works – many of them original vintage prints and unpublished archival materials – tell the complexity of Horst beyond the fashion photography that made him famous on the pages of Vogue.
It is the largest and most significant exhibition ever dedicated to the famous photographer: it brings together over 400 works, about half of which are exhibited for the first time, many of which are original vintage prints, flanked by archival materials and unpublished documents such as vintage magazines, preparatory drawings, sketches and sketchbooks, letters addressed to Horst by Coco Chanel or Salvador Dalí, as well as projections and slideshows of images.
The exhibition reinserts the artist in the context of classical culture and the European and American intelligentsia of the twentieth century. Trained in architecture in Hamburg and Paris, a collaborator of Walter Gropius and close to Le Corbusier, Horst conceives photography as an architecture of light and proportion, where modernism and classicism merge in a rigorous and sensual balance.
Horst P. Horst's work transforms photography into an architecture of light, where each image is a visual equation between line, volume and space. In addition to simple illustration, the photographer, who has always been linked to fashion and architecture and landscape, captures the internal logic of forms, converting fabrics into volumes and composing the image in a metaphysical and eternal dimension.
Ahmet Ertuğ. Beyond the Vanishing Point
21 February – 6 April 2026
Set up on the first floor of the exhibition space, the exhibition celebrates over fifty years of Ahmet Ertuğ's research, dedicated to the European and Mediterranean architectural heritage.
This research, combined with his training as an architect, allows Ertuğ to look at photography not only as a means of documentation, but also as a tool of interpretation, a way to experiment and reveal architecture through the eyes of its original creators.
A selection of twenty-nine large-format photographs bring Venice and Istanbul, two cities symbolically united along the Silk Road, into dialogue.
Twenty-eight works portray Italian cathedrals, palaces, theaters, libraries and museums, among which masterpieces such as the Pantheon and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the La Fenice Theater in Venice stand out.
The dome and semi-domes of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, c. 532 – 537 AD160 x 185 cm © Ahmet Ertuğ
The Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, Umbria, 13th century189 x 160 cm © Ahmet Ertuğ
Ertuğ's architectural training emerges in his ability to restore the original spatial vision of buildings, through images of great visual impact and impeccable technique.
Open call for young photographers
The Le Stanze della Fotografia Foundation has announced the third edition of the competition dedicated to young photographers under 30, inspired by the themes of the great exhibition dedicated to Horst P. Horst.
Participants were invited to develop a visual reflection starting from Horst's quote,
"Fashion is an expression of time. Elegance is something else", creating three shots that interpret its meaning.
The competition, free of charge, ended on February 1, 2026. The works presented were evaluated by a jury of excellence which identified six finalists.
The selected photographs are exhibited at the Stanze della Fotografia for the entire period of the exhibition and will be published on the official social channels.
The works will also be presented at the Le Stanze della Fotografia stand at the MIA Photo Fair in Milan, scheduled from 19 to 22 March 2026. During the fair, visitors will have the opportunity to cast their vote on the finalist works; At the end of the event, the three winners will be announced.
Founded in 2023 with the support of the Venice Foundation, the Le Stanze della Fotografia Foundation promotes photographic culture with exhibition and training projects. Through this competition, the Foundation has confirmed its mission by giving young talents a unique opportunity for visibility and discussion with experts in the sector.
