In Venice there are two Grimani palaces: the so-called Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa and Palazzo Grimani di San Luca (the latter being the headquarters of the city’s Court of Appeal). However, the one which is managed as a museum refers to Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa. The museum was set up no sooner than 2011, and it opened its gates to the public in 2008. While being one of the most recently founded museums in Venice, it is at the same time a must-visit of the city due to its architectural merits and inner decorative excellence.
The palace used to be the residence of Antonio Grimani, doge of Venice between 1521 and 1523. But much of the original edifice was largely altered during the following decades, from 1532 to 1569, when Vittore and Giovani, people of great political power and influence at the time and heirs of Antonio (the former was a procurator, and the latter bishop of Aquileia), commissioned the restoration of the palace in the spirit of an enhanced concept of structural and decorative beauty.
Several artists of the time worked at redesigning the building, the contribution of each of them leading to the creation of a building which strikes by the balance between the sundry architectural trends and tendencies which have inspired the creators. Thus, the likes of Michele Sanmicheli, Giovanni Rusconi, Alessandro Vittoria, Francesco Menzocchi, Camillo Mantovano, Francesco Salviati, Taddeo Zuccari and Giovanni da Udine, as well as Lambert Sustris. Also worthy of attention is the fact the palace used to shelter the archeological collection of Giovanni Grimani.
The admission to the palace’s courtyard is free, but in order to get inside the edifice (and to admire its inner patrimony, with highlights like the amazingly frescoed Sala di Psiche) visitors must pay for the ticket. The common ticket for the Oriental Art Museum and for the Academy Galleries entitles holders to also visit the Grimani Palace Museum with the admission price included in the said ticket.