Mourning in the art world: Paolo De Grandis has died

A career full of successes: Born in Venice on 4 July 1957, over the years he has held roles of growing prestige in various Italian and international cultural institutions. A visionary and innovative curator: Paolo De Grandis was known as a visionary and innovative curator, capable of reading contemporary art with an acute and far-sighted gaze. He has curated numerous highly successful exhibitions, both in Italy and abroad, paying particular attention to young emerging artists and new artistic trends.

A point of reference for the art world: De Grandis was a point of reference for the art world. His profound knowledge and great passion for art made him a valuable interlocutor for artists, collectors, critics and cultural operators. Paolo De Grandis began his career as a creator and curator of exhibitions thanks to a completely random adolescent experience: he climbed over the wall of the Italian pavilion of the Venice Biennale and found himself involved with Michelangelo Pistoletto in painting the rooms of the pavilion.

Paolo De Grandis

This experience is only the beginning of a career linked to the world of art which leads De Grandis to perform what he himself defines as "his four miracles": “The great fortune certainly happened abroad where I moved at 19 -20 years and I met some members of the Kennedy family.” After traveling and studying abroad, another lucky meeting was with Silvia Kennedy who encouraged him to follow his passion for art and thanks to whom, in 1984, he organized his first important exhibition, involving three great critics of art: Achille Bonito, Oliva, Alanna Heiss and Kaspar Koenig and artists of the caliber of Joseph Beuys, Enzo Cucchi, Bruce Nauman and Luciano Fabro.

The desire that drives Paolo De Grandis is to bring art out of canonical and museum venues to make it accessible to a wider audience. The young Paolo recounts his intentions to Gian Luigi Rondi who in 1995 was the President of the Biennale. This is how the collateral pavilions of the Venice Biennale were born, which still represent a great attraction for visitors today.

Another initiative by De Grandis was to take advantage of the attention of the large international public that arrives in Venice in September for the International Film Festival. In 1997 he created OPEN, International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations. This time his aim is to create an outdoor exhibition, based on the idea of inviting an artist from each nation represented at the Festival. An unbridgeable void: The passing of Paolo De Grandis leaves an unbridgeable void in the art world. His legacy will remain alive in the memory of all those who knew and appreciated him. Goodbye, Paolo. The art world will never forget you.