The history of Palazzo Grassi

As part of the initiatives that Palazzo Grassi dedicates to the study of its own history, the Teatrino presents a series of lectures led by experts.

• 13 October: Palazzo Grassi's Venini velarium - Talk on the velarium by Venini that embellished the atrium of Palazzo Grassi in 1951 when it opened as the International Centre for Arts and Costumes. The monumental velarium, made of up of thousands of Murano glass spheres, was later dismantled in 1985, on the occasion of the renovations led by FIAT. The glass historian Carla Sonego reconstructs the story of the extraordinary artifact, not visible for decades and partially rearranged for the exhibition ‘Venini: Luce 1921-1985’ curated by Marino Barovier, at LE STANZE DEL VETRO in Venice.
   

• 23 November: Strappi: the restoration of Carlo Innocenzo Carloni's frescoes - The restoration, particularly complex and characterised by the use of innovative procedures, is illustrated during a public talk, which also includes a report by art historian Stefano Colombo, who conducted, on commission from Palazzo Grassi, a research dedicated to the events of this group of frescoes that tell Colleoni’s life stories. The protagonists of these interventions, the restorers Martina Serafin, Paolo Roma and Laura Ruggieri of Seres Srl and Mauve Srl, tell their direct experience in the field in the recovery of the two large canvases. The difficulties, the discoveries, the beauty of restoring two important 18th century masterpieces to their original splendour.

• 30 November: Chi è di scena: il teatro a Palazzo Grassi dagli anni '60 agli anni '80 - The conference is led by author, critic and performer Luca Scarlini and focuses on the period between the 1960s and the 1980s, when the Teatrino was an open air space and hosted numerous international leading figures of theatre and major events – from Kabuki and No to children’s theatre. Through archival research, Luca Scarlini has reconstructed this important and almost completely forgotten story.