Installed by Max Reinhardt in 1930 as his music room, the Venetian Salon embodies his belief in the transformative power of theatre. Its ornate walls are inlaid with more than 1,500 individual mirrors and paintings depicting Venice and scenes from the Commedia dell’arte – a theatrical tradition known for satire, openness, and social critique.

Central to Commedia dell’arte is the use of masks, which allow performers to shift identity and explore multiple dimensions of the human condition. This idea of duality and transformation is echoed in the Salon’s mirrors and masked figures.

The 2024 project Masking the Venetian Salon responds to this symbolism by selectively masking certain images due to contestation, while others were removed for restoration. The intervention creates a dialogue between historic meaning and contemporary interpretation, allowing the room to evolve as a space for reflection, questioning, and new narratives.