Palazzo Grimani

Palazzo Grimani dates back to the Middle Ages and stands along the Santa Maria Formosa and the San Severo canals in Venice. It was built in the Byzantine and Gothic style typical of Venice in that period.

Antonio Grimani, one of Venice's most accomplished merchants and Doge of Venice from 1521-1523, purchased the palazzo as his residence. After his passing, the palazzo was passed along to his sons and later to his grandsons (some of his descendants chose to pursue career paths in the Church allowing the Grimani family to play important roles in mediating relations between Rome and the Republic of Venice). In the mid-1500s, the palazzo was remodeled by the family and work was commissioned from Florence by artist Francesco Salviati and Giovanni da Udine, who worked with Raphael in the Vatican Loggias and Villa Farnesina in Rome. The Grimani's played a fundamental role in introducing various artistic novelties that significantly influenced the arts in Venice.

Over the years the palazzo continued to transform—in the 1560s, loggias were added to the south and west wing to enclose and create a courtyard; the oval staircase, inspired by Andrea Palladio, was also added at this time, as were the decorations of the second-floor rooms where the famous collection of antiquities was housed. Artists such as Camillo Mantovano and Federico Zuccari were also commissioned to create the interior stucco-work and frescoes. The Tribune, a magnificent room not to be missed, was specially conceived to showcase the family's statue collection. The Grimani family owned the palazzo until 1865; it then changed hands multiple times—sadly decaying considerably over the 1900s—until it was acquired by the Italian State in 1981 and subjected to extensive restoration (thanks to Venetian Heritage).

In 2008 it opened its doors as a public museum. In 2015, it became one of the museums in the Direzione Regionale Musei Veneto. With its singular architecture, Palazzo Grimani is a cherished rarity in Italian and European culture, and it is not to be missed on a visit to Venice. It is more about the ceilings and frescoes than art specifically and currently hosts an exhibit by Georg Baselitz who's contemporary art is on display sitting against the backdrop of the palazzo's classical walls and sculptures.