DK Travel : Venice : Accademia Galleries

Accademia Galleries

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A dazzling collection of masterpieces spanning the full development of Venetian art from Byzantine to Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, the Gallerie dell’Accademia is Venice’s equivalent of the Uffizi in Florence. Giovanni Battista Piazzetta started the collection in 1750 to serve as models for the art school; in 1807 it was boosted by Napoleon with the addition of works from suppressed churches. The same year the collection moved to its present premises, occupying three former religious establishments: the 12th–15th-century Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Carità and its adjoining church, and a 12th-century monastery remodelled by Palladio in the 1500s. More recently, in the 1940s, Carlo Scarpa modernized the layout (see Carlo Scarpa).
For more Venice museums and galleries (see Museums and Galleries) For more on Venice artists (see Artists in Venice)

Top 10 Works

1. San Giobbe Altarpiece

Giovanni Bellini’s gloriously inspirational altarpiece (Room 2), was painted in 1487 for the Church of San Giobbe. It is regarded as one of the finest examples of Sacra Conversazione , which was central to 15th-century Venetian art. The presence of St Sebastian and St Roch alongside the Virgin suggest the aftermath of plague, while angel musicians pay homage to San Giobbe, patron saint of music.
2. The Tempest

This enigmatic 1506 portrayal of a woman suckling her child is by Giorgione (Room 5). The overall impression is of figures and the dreamlike, stormy landscape blended into one whole.
3. Supper in the House of Levi

The forceful canvas by Veronese (1573) occupies an entire wall of Room 10 and caused controversy in its time. The church authorities, who commissioned it as “The Last Supper”, were angered by the inclusion of “dogs, buffoons, drunken Germans, dwarfs and other such absurdities” – so Veronese changed the title.
4. Pietà

Titian’s last work (1576) is unfinished but it is also considered his best (Room 10), imbued as it is with golden light and a piercing sense of anguish.
5. Meeting and Departure of the Betrothed Ursula and Ereo

Part of Carpaccio’s magnificent narrative cycle (1495) about a Breton princess and an English prince can be seen in Room 21.
6. Procession in St Mark’s Square

Part of Gentile Bellini’s spectacular cycle (1496) of the St Mark’s Day procession in 1444 is seen in Room 20.
7. La Madonna dell’Arancio

This exquisite work (1496–8) by Cima da Conegliano, painted for a Murano Franciscan church, is enlivened with partridges and plant life (Room 2).
8. Coronation of the Virgin

This resplendent polyptych (1350) by Venice’s leading 14th-century artist, Paolo Veneziano, is the first work in Room 1. Flanking the sumptuous Byzantine-inspired centre are events from the life of Christ.
9. Portrait of a Gentleman

Lorenzo Lotto’s sombre image of a melancholic man of means in his study (1528) is possibly a self portrait (Room 7). Lotto was known for work entailing psychological insights.
10. Portraits by Rosalba Carriera

As a female artist in demand by 18th-century high society, Carriera was a rarity for her time. Her late-Baroque works in Room 17 display the soft romantic pastels that became her trademark.

Practical Information

Read the helpful free information sheets available in each room. They contain almost entirely the same text as the audio guide. Campo della Carità Dorsoduro 1050 041 522 22 47 Open 8:15am–7:15pm daily (2pm Mon; last admission 30 minutes before closing); closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec Admission € 6.50 Quadreria Corridor: 041 522 22 47 (reservations essential); opening times vary, phone to check; tours in Italian only, free of charge Bookshop www.gallerieaccademia.org