Murano Glass Museum expands with new wing on 7 November

Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro di Murano) will expand in Venice after the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia presented the project on 7 November 2026. The new wing is planned for autumn 2027 and will reuse part of the former Conterie pearl factory on the island.

Murano Glass Museum expansion adds a new wing

The announced extension will add more than 1,300 square metres of exhibition space and is intended to double the museum’s current area. The building site was visited on 7 November 2026 by Venice mayor Simone Venturini, together with representatives of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and the project team.

The new pavilion will contain three sections. The first will examine twentieth-century glassmaking through the ideas of factory and family, while the second will focus on contemporary production. The third will centre on chandeliers, placing historical models alongside contemporary interpretations.

The project includes the collection of New York collector Barry Friedman and 453 works from the Carlo Moretti company. Large windows will face the museum garden, while the former Conterie building will regain a cultural role linked to the island’s glass and bead production. The project is funded from the foundation’s own resources, with an investment of more than 5 million euros, as reported in the 7 November expansion report.

From a former pearl factory to contemporary glass

The extension connects a current museum collection with the industrial history of Murano. The former Conterie complex once housed glass-bead production, so the planned galleries will place contemporary works beside the social and manufacturing history of the island.

The museum itself was founded in 1861 by Antonio Colleoni and Vincenzo Zanetti. It became part of the Venetian Civic Museums after Murano joined the municipality of Venice in 1923. Its historic home is the former residence of the bishops of Torcello, a palace later remodelled under Antonio Gaspari. The official museum history records describe the building and its development.

The collection follows glassmaking from archaeological material to works from the fifteenth through twentieth centuries. The museum also presents the island’s links with beads, furnaces, designers and post-war artistic production. The new wing therefore extends an existing historical narrative rather than creating a separate attraction.

The museum’s setting ties the project to Murano

The expansion is connected to a process that began in 2019, when the City of Venice entrusted the former Conterie building to the foundation. The project was approved in 2022 and entered its implementation phase in 2024, giving the 7 November 2026 site visit a clear place in the construction timeline.

The current museum occupies Palazzo Giustinian on the island. Its central room retains an eighteenth-century ceiling fresco by Francesco Zugno, with architectural details by Francesco Zanchi. That historic interior and the planned garden-facing pavilion will present two different periods of the island’s built and manufacturing history.

Visiting Murano Glass Museum: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The expansion announcement was made on 7 November 2026, and the new wing is planned to open in autumn 2027.
• The planned works concern the former Conterie pearl factory and add more than 1,300 square metres; the announcement does not state that the existing museum is closed.
• The museum is at Fondamenta Giustinian 8, 30141 Murano, in the Venetian lagoon. The official visitor information lists the address and identifies the site as the former residence of the bishops of Torcello.
• The existing building includes a historic palace, a Grand Canal-facing central room and a former industrial complex next door. Visitors should expect museum galleries and historic architectural spaces rather than a single furnace tour.

The project gives travellers a reason to revisit Murano after autumn 2027, when the additional galleries are scheduled to join the existing museum route.

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Frequently asked questions about Murano Glass Museum

What has changed at Murano Glass Museum?

A new wing of more than 1,300 square metres is planned in the former Conterie pearl factory, with three sections devoted to glass history and contemporary production.

When is the new wing at Murano Glass Museum expected?

The expansion is planned to open in autumn 2027. The announcement was made on 7 November 2026.

Where is Murano Glass Museum and how do you get there?

The museum is at Fondamenta Giustinian 8 on Murano in the Venetian lagoon. Its official visitor information identifies the address and the historic palace that houses the collection.