VENICE — Diane von Furstenberg is fond of saying that Venice is “the stage of the winter of my life.”
She first visited Venice at age 17 and her affection for the city has only grown over the years; she now spends several months a year in the Italian city enjoying its cultural and artistic scene. So much so that the designer moved the DVF Awards to Venice in 2022 and each year she holds them to coincide with the film festival. This edition, the 17th, was no exception.
On Thursday, the awards were bestowed on Hollywood legend and activist Jane Fonda; Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who waived her right to anonymity as the victim in a multiple rape case; American photojournalist Lynsey Addario, whose work often focuses on conflicts and human rights issues, especially the role of women in traditional societies; lawyer and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, and Wawira Njiru, founder and chief executive officer of Food4Education, a social enterprise that is creating the blueprint for school feeding in Africa.
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“It is more important than ever that this year’s honorees are incredible and brave women who have had the courage to fight, the strength to survive and the leadership to inspire,” von Furstenberg said. “I am thrilled to draw attention to their important work and to celebrate them in Venice.”
The event was once again held at the Goldoni Theater, built by the Vendramin family in 1622, and the oldest theater in Venice still in existence today.
The DVF Awards were created in 2010 by the designer and the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation to recognize and support extraordinary women who are dedicated to transforming and inspiring the lives of other women, granting each honoree $100,000 for their nonprofit organization in order to further their work.
Over the years the DVF Awards have amplified the voices of women from more than 30 countries with grants to further their work in the areas of climate change, immigration, fighting human trafficking, promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women.
Previous awards were bestowed on the likes of Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank; “Selma” director Ava DuVernay, and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, among others. Last year, honorees included Christy Turlington Burns, founder and president of Every Mother Counts, and Kim Kardashian in her role as philanthropist.
“We always include one or two more well-known activists to draw attention and visibility to the honorees and their work,” said von Furstenberg, referring to Fonda this edition.
The events have drawn such powerful women as Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Oprah Winfrey.
Von Furstenberg’s love for Venice is reflected in the book “Serenissima. Solution & Seduction” for the 2025 Architecture Biennale published by Marsilio Arte.
“The book originated from a personal fantasy: imagining Venice as a woman, an extraordinary being, at the heart of history for over 1,600 years,” von Furstenberg said. “The more I discovered Venice’s history — its creativity, strength, courage and resilience — the more I could not help but see her as a woman, a role model, the woman I would have liked to be.
“Some call her the Dominant, the Queen of the Adriatic, or the Bride of the Sea. But for me, above all other titles, she is the Serenissima: the ultimate symbol of femininity, elegance and intelligence; an ingenious creature, capable of mastering the subtle art of balancing solution and seduction. I also think Venice will continue to play a role for the future of humanity.”
The eight incarnations of Venice as a woman — an architect or maritime engineer, for example — were illustrated in the book by Greek sculptor and painter Konstantin Kakanias, who has also designed textiles for fashion houses Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix. The stories are narrated by historian Tiziana Plebani, who gives voice to the Serenissima in the first person, transforming the volume into an intimate tale.
“The book pays homage to Venice, blending art, history and imagination,” von Furstenberg said.
She is also working on a project to transform the 16th-century fortress Forte di Sant’Andrea on the Lagoon, “most likely” into a cultural hub, but she was mum on details as it is currently taking shape. “I want to help preserve it and make that a wonderful destination,” she let slip.
Her home in Venice is on the “piano nobile,” or the principal floor of a palazzo that usually includes the main reception room, of the 15th-century Palazzo Giustinian Brandolini on the Grand Canal — a marvel of wooden carved ceilings, Baroque gilded wall mirrors and statues of cherubs standing guard over the massive doors. It’s a family building, owned by the sister of the late Fiat tycoon Gianni Agnelli, countess Cristiana Brandolini d’Adda, who died last June. Von Furstenberg married the countess’ nephew, the late Prince Egon von Furstenberg, in 1969; they separated in 1973 and divorced in 1983.
Interior designer, antique dealer and gallery director Chahan Minassian helped von Furstenberg renovate the apartment. Of Armenian origin and born in Lebanon, Minassian, like von Furstenberg, is a patron of the Venetian Heritage Foundation.
Her friends, activists, artists and writers are welcome at the apartment, which she decorated to reflect her personality, making it “cozy and bohemian,” von Furstenberg said, including bold animal print rugs contrasting with decorative wallpaper and ruched curtains, and a 1974 Andy Warhol painting of herself.
In her studio stands an imposing floor-to-ceiling bookshelf created by Renzo Mongiardino, the famed architect who renovated the palazzo.