Michael Armitage at Palazzo Grassi Venice Italy
Michael Armitage at Palazzo Grassi, Venice presents the paintings that combine African history and contemporary politics with the visual language of European art.
The exhibition, The Promise of Change, is especially worth seeing if you like art that rewards looking closely rather than simply being visually beautiful.
What makes it special?
Armitage was born in Nairobi and his work draws heavily on Kenyan and East African life, politics, mythology and popular culture, while engaging with Western art history.
His paintings can look almost dreamlike and colourful from a distance. Up close, they often contain violence, political tension, protests, sexuality or references to colonial history.
You may see echoes of artists such as Goya, Manet, Gauguin or Picasso, but combined with African imagery, cartoons, newspapers and contemporary events. That collision is one of the most interesting aspects of his work.
He often paints on lubugo, a traditional Ugandan bark cloth. The uneven, delicate surface becomes part of the image, so the paintings don’t feel like conventional oil paintings on canvas.
Palazzo Grassi makes the experience stronger. The enormous historic rooms and Renaissance architecture create a striking contrast with Armitage’s contemporary, politically charged paintings.
Palazzo Grassi is one of the grandest palaces on Venice’s Grand Canal. Its history is interesting because it went from being an 18th-century aristocratic residence to a modern centre for contemporary art.
The palace was built for the wealthy Grassi family, a prominent Venetian family involved in trade. Construction began around 1748, designed by the architect Giorgio Massari. It was one of the last great palazzi built in Venice before the Republic of Venice fell in 1797.
After the Grassi family, the palace passed through several owners and uses. It eventually became associated with the Fiat company. In 1983, Fiat acquired Palazzo Grassi and transformed it into a major exhibition venue. It hosted large international exhibitions, including important shows of modern and contemporary art.
In 2005, French businessman and collector François Pinault acquired the palazzo. He turned it into one of the principal homes of his contemporary-art collection.
Palazzo Grassi is part of the Pinault Collection, together with Punta della Dogana and the Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi. It hosts exhibitions by major contemporary artists, including the current Michael Armitage exhibition.
ft/ Kate Zaniewska
