Palazzo Grimani Museum

8 years ago

design map, locations, past tours and visits, VDW2016, VDW2017, VDW2018

The museum hosts Material and Immaterial Design
an exhibition organized by Venice Design Week 6-14 October 2018

Palazzo Grimani. Hidden behind Campo Santa Maria Formosa, it was bought by the merchant Antonio Grimani in the fifteenth century and set as one “Statius”, the typical house of the Venetian merchants. Even today there are two water gates, which originally served to facilitate the carriage of goods by sea. A massive makeover Renaissance was made by Giovanni Grimaldi in mid 1500. At the palace, which had an L-shaped plant, were added two arms: so the two sides came together to enclose the large courtyard. Giovanni, whom we owe the current appearance of the building, was the Patriarch of Aquileia and had a troubled life, especially marked by a long and controversial trial for heresy, that He ended with acquittal. Many of the palace frescoes recall this story, that prevented him from becoming a cardinal. Among the beautiful stucco staircase of access to the main floor figure the justice that rewards Giovanni; in the beautiful room in Foliages you may notice the scale shock from the elements and threatened by snakes and the magpie captured by the owl, to symbolize Giovanni with his accusers. The Grimani, major collectors of ancient art, filled the precious antique sculptures palace from Greece and Rome, works that were inserted Renaissance perfectly in environments created by John, as the Tribune, a space by strong visual impact.