Pinault Collection – Palazzo Grassi

The palace on the Grand Canal, the last palazzo having been built after the collapse of Venice Republic in 1797, home to the first of the Pinault Collection’s exhibition venues, was originally a noble residence that was commissioned in the mid-1700s by the Grassi family from Venetian architect Giorgio Massari.

The sense of 18th-century majesty remains present in the column-lined atrium and the grand staircase adorned with frescoes by Michelangelo Morlaiter and Francesco Zanchi, as well as the highly decorative ceiling featuring a fresco by Giambattista Canal. On the upper floors, home to the exhibition halls themselves, visitors can still admire the 19th-century ceilings painted by Christian Griepenkerl. In the mid-1900s, the palace became the exhibition venue for the Centro Internazionale delle Arti e del Costume. Later, in 1983, Fiat purchased Palazzo Grassi for use in the presentation of major art and archaeology exhibitions, though not before undertaking a restoration campaign headed up by architects Gae Aulenti and Antonio Foscari.

Upon its acquisition by François Pinault, Palazzo Grassi underwent a further restoration project between 2005 and 2006, led by Tadao Ando who, whilst respecting the limitations imposed by the existing architecture, rearranged the spaces once again.
Following this, 2006 marked the palace opening its doors as the first location for the Pinault Collection to be presented and shared with the public, boasting a steady stream of temporary exhibitions that has, over time, developed a particular focus on presenting the work of the various artists in the collection in monographic shows. Indeed, over the years Venice has played host to the debut solo exhibitions in Italy of renowned artists as Marlene Dumas, Albert Oehlen, Martial Raysse, Rudolf Stingel and Luc Tuymans, but also important photographic exhibitions featuring the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Irving Penn.