Palazzo Grassi & Punta della Dogana – Contemporary Art in Venice

Palazzo Grassi – François Pinault Collection

Palazzo Grassi, inaugurated in 1772, is the last noble palace built along the Grand Canal. With its elegant neoclassical façade and scenic location, it has gone through many lives across the centuries: it changed ownership several times, became a cultural center and exhibition venue already in the 1950s, and in 2005 was acquired by the François Pinault Collection. The architectural renovation was entrusted to Tadao Ando, and the reopening to the public in 2006 marked a new chapter for contemporary art in Venice: thematic exhibitions, major retrospectives and immersive installations that turned this historic palace into a space of experimentation and vision.

Punta della Dogana

Punta della Dogana occupies the spectacular triangle between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal — the very point where maritime goods arrived for centuries. The current structure dates back to 1682 and served as the Dogana da Mar until 1980. After a period of inactivity, the restoration project was awarded to the Pinault Foundation in 2007: once again the intervention was led by Tadao Ando, who transformed an industrial building into a powerful art space while preserving its essential memory. Open to the public since 2009, Punta della Dogana is today considered one of the most striking sites for contemporary art in Venice.

Current Exhibitions 2025 – Pinault Collection

Pierre Huyghe – Liminal
Extended through Autumn 2025
A total immersion into Huyghe’s poetic universe: organisms, open systems, non-human intelligences and environments in continuous transformation.

Reopening Spring 2025
The building reopens after internal works. The inauguration will be accompanied by a major exhibition dedicated to Pierre Huyghe (solo show – final details forthcoming).

Upcoming Exhibitions – 2026

The 2026 program of the Pinault Collection in Venice will present new thematic exhibitions and site-specific projects exploring dialogues between international artists and Ando’s architectural spaces. Final curatorial announcements will be released during 2025.

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Video Bell Tower in St. Mark's Square