PALAZZO GRASSI & DOGANA. PINAULT’S COLLECTIONS IN VENICE
PALAZZO GRASSI AND DOGANA. PINAULT’S COLLECTIONS IN VENICE
Punta della Dogana will reopen on May 23, 2021 with a major exhibition: Bruce Nauman, Contrapposto Studies. This venue curated by Caroline Burgeois and Carlos Casualdo will continue until January 9, 2022.
Bruce Nauman born in Indiana (USA) in 1941, one of the most inventive living artists, has been restlessly experimenting with every imaginable artistic medium, “investigating the possibilities of what art may be”.
He remarks: “I’ve never been able to stick to one thing”. His conceptual experiments and performances with photography, sound, videos, neon, have inspired generations of artists.
Contrapposto, an Italian term meaning ‘counterpose’, describes a human figure standing with most of the weight on one foot, with shoulders and arms slightly twisted off-axis. When ‘contrapposto’ first appeared in Ancient Greece it was a revolutionary development: for the first time the human body was used to express a psychological mood. A familiar example? Michelangelo’s David!
The theme had been explored by Neuman in a 1968 video: Walk with Contrapposto, where we see him walk in a wooden corridor trying to maintain the classical pose.
During the last five years the artist has been explicitly revisiting this earlier work. His Contrapposto Studies exploit the technological evolutions of these last decades. The exhibit at the Dogana is conceived as an ascending spiral, where the recent works will dialogue with some on Nauman’s historical works.
Palazzo Grassi will be closed for restyling for the entire 2021.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Palazzo Grassi
- The Dogana
MORE ABOUT
THIS TOUR
PALAZZO GRASSI & DOGANA
Palazzo Grassi on the Grand Canal is a major structure by Giorgio Massari, begun in 1749 for the Grassi family, who received the noble title after financing the wars against the Turks.
In the 1950s it became a Centre of Culture and in 1984 was purchased by the Agnelli family and used for Antique and Contemporary Art successful exhibits. Due to a severe commercial crisis, the building was sold in 2005 to the French businessman François Pinault, owner of one of the most important Modern Art collections in the world.
Thus far some exhibits have been focused on single artists, some on crucial events in history – Rome and the Barbarians – or on artistic avant-gardes.
DRESS CODE AND ADVICE
- no dress code required… please don’t bring backpacks
- Both collections are closed on Tuesdays
COST
- This tour lasts three hours – Palazzo Grassi or Dogana – and costs 400 euros up to six people (not per person) for private parties. For larger parties send us an email
- Admission fees: 20 euros (full rate) – 15 euros (reduced rate)
