From Gianni Agnelli...
From 1984 to 2005, Palazzo Grassi was internationally recognized for its art exhibitions, administered by a Fiat management team personally selected by Gianni Agnelli.

Under the aegis of a series of exceptional directors (Pontus Hulten, Paolo Viti, and others), Palazzo Grassi presented ambitious and well-attended shows, notably those devoted to great civilizations (the Celts, the Mayans and the Etruscans among others).
The last exhibition at Palazzo Grassi, “Dalí”, closed in January 2005.
At that point the Palazzo was shut down, because, following the death of M. Agnelli, Fiat had chosen to terminate its involvement.


... a François Pinault
In May 2005, François Pinault decided to take over Palazzo Grassi. A new company, Palazzo Grassi S.p.A., was established. Its joint owners are François Pinault, the majority shareholder (with eighty percent ownership), and the Casino Municipale di Venezia, a public-private company owned by the City of Venice, which is eager to continue its involvement with Palazzo Grassi.

Jean-Jacques Aillagon was designated director of Palazzo Grassi by François Pinault from April to August 2007, when he became president of the Château de Versailles. Monique Veaute succeeded him in September 2007.
The project of the creation of a center for contemporary art at Punta della Dogana was born in July 2006, with the launching of a contest by the city of Venice to its cultural institutions for the restoration of the ancient buildings of the Maritime Customs House, abandoned for more than thirty years.
The François Pinault Foundation’s project, supported by Jean-Jacques Aillagon, was in competition with the Fondazione Solomon R. Guggenheim.
Palazzo Grassi won the race in April 2007.