Overlooking the cavea of the Roman Theatre in the old town of Lecce, Palazzo Luce is the brainchild of Anna Maria Enselmi, who conceived it out of the desire to create the perfect place for her collection of contemporary art and design (the latter made up of unique, historic and contemporary pieces). It is a highly imaginative space, having taken shape from and being inhabited by the ideas, vision and passion of a far-sighted collector who marshalled her enthusiasm and sensibility to gather together designers, artists, architects and gallerists in a fluid, collective, on-going cultural project.

The monumental volumes of the historic building and the more current creative forms dialogue in Palazzo Luce with rare harmony, synergy and attention to detail: furnishings by Gio Ponti, a large hall with silhouettes by William Kentridge, works by Giuliano Dal Molin and Thomas Ruff, a bar specially designed for the building by Martino Gamper, paintings and pottery by Antonio Marras, photographs by Ugo Mulas and Mimmo Jodice, a hypnotic image by Marina Abramović, vessels by Bruno Gambone, a Mediterranean garden, original majolica floors and Joseph Kosuth’s cool neon on the stunning terrace, flooded with the magical glow of the Salentine city and affording a view of the cathedral bell tower. It is every gallerist’s dream to be able to move around these spaces and know that they will be experienced again later by other artists, experts and collectors.