In the 18th century, Venice and its timeless charm became the subject of choice for painters known as the Vedutisti. Their views of Venice quickly spread across Europe, making the Veduta the most collected and one of the most loved genres among the public to this day.
Exceptional exhibition
Thanks to some generous loans, the Jacquemart-André Museum is now devoting an exhibition to the Veduta for the first time in France, a genre of painting epitomised by Canaletto and Guardi. It is a very under-represented artistic genre in French public and private collections, which makes this exhibition at the Jacquemart-André Museum, "Canaletto - Guardi, the two masters of Venice", a must-see event, from 14 September 2012 to 14 January 2013. Curated by Bożena Anna Kowalczyk, the focus is on spreading an artistic movement born at the dawn of the 18th century, which was mainly collected by wealthy Italian, British and German collectors.
The exhibition gives pride of place to Canaletto, the cornerstone of the genre, showcasing more than twenty-five of the master's essential works from the most prestigious museums and collections, while identifying the artist's place at the heart of the great Veduta artistic movement. His works resonate with those of Gaspar van Wittel, Luca Carlevarijs, Michele Marieschi, Bernardo Bellotto and Francesco Guardi, who was the last master to succeed in immortalising the charm and elegance of the Venetian 18th century. That is why the Jacquemart-André Museum will display about twenty of his works.
The exhibition also lays the stress on "capricci": striking scenes of an imaginary Venice, painted by Canaletto, Guardi and Bellotto. Some of these canvases have never been displayed in a temporary exhibition before.
The Royal Collection
The British Crown possesses the largest collection of Canaletto paintings and drawings. Almost all of them were commissioned to Canaletto by Joseph Smith, the British consul at Venice from 1744, who then sold his collection to George III, King of England.
Dr Bozena Anna Kowalczyk, general curator of the exhibition at the Jacquemart-André Museum, studied this prestigious Canaletto collection in great detail, and was granted a loan of eight of Canaletto’s exceptional works, which will be displayed for the first time in Paris. Some of these have never been shown in public outside Windsor Castle or the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace.
