MASSARI, Giorgio
(b. 1687, Venezia, d. 1766, Venezia)

Biography

Italian architect. His eclectic style drew on both Palladio's Classicism and Baldassare Longhena's Baroque style.

Massari had a good eye for detail and finish, personally choosing not only his collaborators and sculptors, especially Giambattista Tiepolo and Morlaiter, but even the furniture and all other aspects of each project.

His first major works were outside Venezia: Villa Lattes near Treviso (1715), the church of Santo Spirito in Udine, and that of Santa Maria della Pace (1720-46) in Brescia. He worked closely with Giambattista Tiepolo: in Venice they worked on the Chiesa dei Gesuati (1726-36), the Chiesa della Pietà and Ca' Rezzonico (1756). The latter had been designed by Longhena but never completed: Massari was commissioned to finish it by the Rezzonico family. He turned the building into a stunning palace, by building a triumphant staircase and a large ballroom on the first floor. Another fine work in Venice was Palazzo Grassi (1750-66), one of the last large palaces to be built in Venice before the fall of the Republic.



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