Description of the attraction
Palazzo Grassi, also known as Palazzo Grassi Stacchi, is a classic palace in Venice, located on the banks of the Grand Canal. It was designed by the architect Giorgio Massari and built between 1748 and 1772.
One of the youngest palaces on the Grand Canal, Palazzo Grassi is built in an academic classical style that contrasts so well with the Byzantine, Romanesque and Baroque palaces of Venice. Its austere façade is made of white marble, and the absence of the low shopping aisles typical of other aristocratic palazzo sets it apart from other buildings. The main hall is decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo Morlighter and Francesco Zanchi.
The Grassi family owned the Palazzo for about a hundred years and sold it in 1840. Since then, it changed owners several times, until in 1983 it was bought by the Fiat Group under the leadership of Gianni Agnelli. At the same time, a large-scale restoration was carried out in the palace, the course of which was overseen by Count Antonio Foscari Widmann Rezzonico, the current owner of Villa Foscari. The main goal of the Fiat Group was to transform Palazzo Grassi into an exhibition hall. Today the palace continues to be used as an art gallery. In addition, the Palazzo has an open-air theater with 600 seats.
Since 2006, the palace has been owned by the French entrepreneur François Pinault, who exhibits his personal art collection here. Here Pinault's son, François-Henri, met the Hollywood actress Salma Hayek. The Palazzo hosted a reception for their second marriage.
