Palazzo Grassi

"Palazzo Grassi was the last private residence to be built on the Grand Canal before the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. Tadao Ando has worked on the restoration of the building with a project that is of minimalist understatement. The colour range in the interiors is dominated by whites and greys, creating within each room the calm necessary for contemplation of works of art; from above, the ceiling ‘velarium’ casts a clear and even light that embraces the interior below. Each aspect of the restoration fully respects the history of the palazzo at the same time as reflecting the needs of the twenty-first century."  says the official page of Palazzo Grassi. 

Really?  I hardly noticed the historical building! I think most of readers will agree with me looking at the photos even if you haven't visited Palazzo Grassi yet. They covered the original walls of the palace with plaster walls. Luckily they thought of letting us see at least the ceilings in some rooms! Many of the rooms are just white, covered with plaster all around.  

I like the idea of contemporary art in this building, I enjoy the mix of modern and historical.  I like the respectful modern touch in the court of the building but the rest disappoints me.

Turning a historical building into a museum is a hard work but  historical building has to lose importance next to exhibited objects?  Why can't I enjoy being inside a 18th century venetian building while observing the exhibition?  In Neues Museum, David Chipperfield succeeded this amazingly. We easily see the respect he showed to the building, he created two layers, he exhibits the building and the objects of the museum at the same time with similar importance. I would expect the same sensibility also from Tadao Ando. I always appreciated his designs but restoration isn't his strong point, I guess it was his first restoration work ever, probably the last one.