“My sincere wish is that the contemporary art center, consisting of Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, shall remain truly contemporary. This impetus is a matter of great importance for me but also for Venice, a city, which has always inspired the best of creativity.” – François Pinault
Inaugurated in 2006 and 2009, respectively the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana were renovated by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and stand to present both personal and collective exhibitions surrounding Pinault’s extraordinary collection. The locations aim to share with the public the knowledge and love for contemporary art through the Pinault Collection and to strengthen the privileged relationship the institution has developed with artists, especially thanks to works specifically conceived for its exhibition spaces.
As part of the cycle of monographic shows dedicated to major contemporary artists, launched in 2012 and alternating with thematic exhibitions of the Pinault Collection, Palazzo Grassi presents Luc Tuymans’ first personal exhibition in Italy. Curated by Caroline Bourgeois in collaboration with the artist (Mortsel, Belgium, 1958), the show is titled La Pelle, after Italian writer, Curzio Malaparte’s 1949 novel. It includes over 80 works from the Pinault Collection, international museums and private collections, and focuses on the artist’s paintings from 1986 to today.
On view at the Punta della Dogana is the exhibition Luogo e Segni, curated by Martin Bethenod, Director of Palazzo Grassi – Punta della Dogana, and Mouna Mekouar, independent curator. Luogo e Segni takes its title from a painting by Carol Rama included in the exhibition. The show brings together over 100 works, by 36 artists who establish a particular relationship with their urban, social, political, historical, intellectual setting. Of those, 17 of the artists appear for the first time in a Pinault Collection exhibition in Venice including, among others; Berenice Abbott, Liz Deschenes, Trisha Donnelly and R. H. Quaytman. Further, among those, 3 have taken part in the artist residency programme promoted by the Pinault Collection in Lens: Lucas Arruda, Hicham Berrada and Edith Dekyndt. Their works are set up in relation with a selection of pieces that have marked the history of exhibitions at Punta della Dogana since its opening in 2009.
In this Online Exhibition, we present installation images from the exhibitions surrounding the Pinault Collection in Venice.
