Palazzo Grassi
The Palazzo Grassi, Venice
The Palazzo Grassi is
located on the eastern bank of the Grand Canal in the San Marco district
of Venice.
The palace, also known as the Palazzo Grassi-Stucky, was constructed
between 1748 and 1772. Its architect, Giorgio Massari, designed a
distinctly classical building in sharp contrast to the other palaces in
the locality, particularly the baroque Ca' Rezzonico on the opposite
bank of the Grand Canal.
The impressive marble facade of the palace lacks the usual recessed
loggia for the collection and delivery of goods. Instead, the principal
entrance is approached by a formal stairway which descends to the
water's edge.
The interior is arranged around a large colonnaded courtyard with a
modest rear gate leading to the Campo San Samuele. The grand staircase
in the reception hall is decorated with trompe d'oeil frescos by
Michelangelo Morlaiter and Francesco Zanchi.
The Grassi were not an established Venetian family but wealthy newcomers
from Bologna. Naturally they wished to cement their position in Venetian
society.
Giorgio Massari, who died six years before the completion of the
building, is best known for his baroque architecture. Although he
reverted to a flat classical facade when he designed the exterior of the
Palazzo Grassi, his arrangement of the interior colonnades creates a
typically baroque chiaroscuro effect.
The baroque splendour of the Ca' Rezzonico on the opposite bank of the Grand Canal sharply contrasts with the formal classicism of the Palazzo Grassi: Adriano, 24.03.2002, GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or later
Trompe d'Oeil fresco by Michelangelo Morlaiter, Palazzo Grassi Venice
The Palazzo Grassi
was the last great palace constructed in Venice before the Napoleonic
invasion of 1797. The Grassi, who later suffered a reverse in their
fortunes, sold the palace in 1840.
The palace then passed through a succession of owners including the
industrialists Giovanni Stucky and Vittorio Cini. Naturally each altered
it according to their own personal tastes.
It was purchased by the Fiat Group in 1983 and transformed into a
cultural centre, art gallery and museum. The interior courtyard was
converted into a 600-seat theatre.
The project was supervised by the Milanese architect, Gae Aulenti, who
also directed the Musee d'Orsay conversion in Paris.
In 2005 the French industrialist, Francois Pinault, purchased a
controlling interest in the Palazzo Grassi.
Pinault, whose personal art collection consists of over 2,500 works, had
originally intended to establish a museum on the Ile Seguin in Paris but
was frustrated by burocratic delays.
The Palazzo Grassi now displays numerous paintings from his private
collection and also hosts temporary exhibitions. In recent years these
have included a Dali retrospective, the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci,
and a collection of modern art inspired by Paul Gauguin entitled: “Where
are we Going?”
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