François Pinault - The loss of Paris is the gain of Venice

When French billionaire François Pinault gave up his attempts to build a museum on L'île Seguin, an island on the river Seine in the suburbs of the French capital which was once the site of a Renault factory, he chose the Palazzo Grassi in the Italian city of Venice as the best place to share with the rest of the world his vast collection of modern art.

The decision in 2004 not to go ahead with Paris option was down to Pinault's frustration at the administrative red tape involved in getting the necessary planning permission, and even though Palazzo Grassi isn't big enough to hold all his works in one go, a visit has to be a "must" on any visitor's list of "things to do and places to see" no matter how short a stay might be planned in "the Queen of the Adriatic".

That has been especially true since June 2009 when after months of renovation work at the Punta della Dogana, a new art centre for Pinault's foundation (yes the French capital really did lose out BIG time) the exhibition "Mapping the studio", opened at both venues.

It is in the words of the official website an exhibition aimed at "conveying the sense of vitality and discovery that has been an integral part of the François Pinault Collection over the years."



It might be difficult to appreciate fully the intent behind many of the artists' work and they can surely appear obscure and often nonsensical.

But that's where the audio guide kicks in, offering explanations which visitors can accept or ignore as they wish.

Such as why Piotr Uklański's "Dancing Nazis", which combines his work of 166 film stills and poster images of US and European actors who've played the parts of Nazis in films, with a dance floor intermittently illuminated in fluorescent colours, has a meaning which "lies not within itself but within the mind of the spectator."

When you wander into a darkened room to see Bruce Nauman's film "Test Tape Fat Chance John Cage", a film he made by leaving the camera running in his studio overnight recording...well not a lot really...the audio guide once again helpfully sheds some light.

It spells out how the film is the inspiration for the whole theme of the exhibition "Mapping the studio" and has been described in reviews as "pushing the limits" and "showing everything and nothing."

It's perhaps statements like that which might alienate many from sitting down and pondering the whole thing in the first place.

But it's also worth bearing in mind that works which might often puzzle and leave the visitor floundering don't always appear to be what they initially seem.

Thank goodness for that thought as the guide assures you that Cady Noland's installation piece "Bloody Mess" is far from quite literally being, as the name suggests, a work of junk thrown together in no apparent form on the exhibition floor.

Or Cy Twombly's "Ilium" is in no way just lot of indiscriminate scribbling (is there any other sort) but is brought into context when you're told just how important an influence his overall work has been on other artists.



There is of course more, much more to Pinault's collection than the briefest of resumés allows. There are works from established artists such as Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger, to name just a few.

And then there are pieces from emerging talents such as Adel Abdessemed, Nate Lowman and of course Rob Pruitt, whose "101 art ideas you can do yourself" starting off with "Putting googly eyes on things" through (should you feel the need to pop along to the men's room) "Sit on the toilet backwards", and the other 99 suggestions that accompany you during your visit, are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Even if at times it's hard to fathom out what some of the artists' intentions actually were or are, there's not denying that what's on display is thought-provoking and it's never dull.

And maybe the best advice is to bear in mind as you wander through the exhibition is not necessarily to try looking for meaning and simply enjoy.