Il Prisione was the Venetian venue for Andy Warhol’s September 1977 exhibition. Though its name suggested a prison, the diary describes it instead as an elegant men’s club beside the Doge’s Palace. The space became part of the exhibition’s story: its preparation involved visible signs of the show, a last-minute installation, and a contrast between the polished setting and the workers’ dismissive response to the paintings.

Setting and preparation

On September 14, Warhol went with Doug to inspect the venue. The room had high ceilings and was a good size, though not especially large; a continuous white board for hanging paintings ran around the walls. Doug wanted the board painted flesh-colored. The person in charge also showed the visitors a large cloth banner bearing Warhol’s name and the exhibition dates, September 16 to October 8. Similar banners were displayed in San Marco Square, beneath the clock, and along the route toward Accademia. Jed Johnson photographed them, making the exhibition visible beyond the club before it opened.

Installation and response

By the afternoon of September 16, the paintings had arrived, and the walls had been painted flesh-colored, though the color was slightly off. Italian workers had already begun hanging the works. Doug’s assistant, Hilary, told Warhol that the workers were surprised by the paintings’ close-up images of unclothed bodies. They joked about them and compared the images with themselves, doing little work; Hilary and Doug consequently had to handle most of the installation. The episode makes the venue not merely a backdrop but a working space where the paintings’ subject matter shaped how the show was received before its opening.

Opening and use of the venue

Warhol returned to Il Prisione at about 7:30 that evening for the exhibition opening. After roughly an hour, the party moved to Florian’s for drinks and photographs. The diary does not describe the opening itself in detail, but its sequence records the venue’s central role: the show was assembled there, its opening began there, and its public identity had already been carried into the surrounding city by the banners. Il Prisione thus anchors the account of the exhibition in both a specific interior and the practical, social work required to bring it before an audience.