Category: History & Traditions

The art gallery was opened in 1951 by Solomon R. Guggenheim and hosts the private collection of his wife Peggy, one of the most influent personalities in XX century art. The works of her collection are shown together with other paintings from private collections (in 2012 the musuem received more than 80 works from the Schuholf Collection) or from temporary exhibitions.

The museum is probably the most important in Italy regarding  american and european art of the first half of the XX century. It hosts works by Picasso, de Chirico, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Miró, Klee, Ernst, Magritte, Dalí e Pollock and by many others in the areas of Dadaism, Cubism, Futurism and Surrealism.

In the evocative garden is presented a rich selection of modern art sculptures.

Punta della Dogana separates the Grand Canal from the Giudecca Canal. For its strategic location it was the house of the Custom and of the Salt Warehouses.

In 2007 the city of Venice appointed Palazzo Grassi and the François Pinault Foundation with the task of transforming the building into a contemporary art centre. The project was assigned to Japanese architect Tadao Ando that created his masterpiece. A location created with a careful combination of modern and ancient elements, to enhance art in every single way.

The museum houses the works of the Pinault Foundation.

An event and a renovation that are contributing to make Venice one of the most important centers of contemporary art. 

Palazzo Grassi, located in campo San Samuele and facing the Grand Canal, was the last palace built before the end of the Venetian Republic, in 1772.

In 2005 the Palace, that had been for years the location of important exhibitions on the great civilizations of the past, was taken over by François Pinault foundation, who begun a renovation project assigned to Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The result is a fascinating combination between Pinault collection and the historical location, that plays as a contrasting frame to the contemporary art works.   

The palace houses frequent art exhibitions with a selection of works coming from all over the world.

The Clock Tower, or as it is usually called Moors Tower, is one of Venice landmarks.

It was built at the and of XV century when the City of Venice decided to substitute the old Sant’Alipo Clock Tower.

The astronomical clock  was revealed in 1499 as the “most complex clock in the world”. The planets’ movement were represented on the huge (4,5 m) blue and gold face. On the same side it was possible to see lunar phases  and the Sun moving into the different Zodiac Signs.

The time passing is stroke by the Moors’Bell. The Moors are two bronze statues (the name come from their color as Moro in Venetian means dark skinned) so beautiful that it is said that their creator was blinded so that he would not have been able to repeat his masterpiece.  They are located on a Terrace offering striking views of St.Mark’s Square.

An unusual, interesting visit to a masterpiece of  Renaissance Engineering