Past Exhibition

The Glory of Venice

The image depicts a view overlooking a body of water. Near the center of the image is a building with a flag on the horizon, surrounded by small trees and distant structures suggesting a shoreline. In the water are multiple small boats and gondolas with people rowing or managing them. The brushstrokes are delicate and fluid, using an ink wash technique for a soft atmosphere. The color palette is dominated by warm sepia tones, enhancing the peaceful ambiance. Boats are strategically placed in the composition, leading the viewer's gaze through the scene.
Francesco Guardi, The Fortress of San Andrea from the Lagoon, 1780s, pen and brown ink with brown and gray wash over black on laid paper, with some white gouache, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1963.15.13

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    West Building, Main Floor, Galleries 60 through 79
The image depicts a view overlooking a body of water. Near the center of the image is a building with a flag on the horizon, surrounded by small trees and distant structures suggesting a shoreline. In the water are multiple small boats and gondolas with people rowing or managing them. The brushstrokes are delicate and fluid, using an ink wash technique for a soft atmosphere. The color palette is dominated by warm sepia tones, enhancing the peaceful ambiance. Boats are strategically placed in the composition, leading the viewer's gaze through the scene.
Francesco Guardi, The Fortress of San Andrea from the Lagoon, 1780s, pen and brown ink with brown and gray wash over black on laid paper, with some white gouache, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1963.15.13

Overview: 241 paintings, drawings, prints, and illustrated books came from the National Gallery and public and private collections in Europe and Canada. The installation, the first major international exhibition in the United States to celebrate Venetian art of the period, included religious subjects, landscapes, portraits, history paintings, allegories, architectural fantasies, and studies for decorative arts.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Andrew Robison, Andrew W. Mellon senior curator at the National Gallery of Art, selected and coordinated the exhibition. Norman Rosenthal and Jane Martineau from the Royal Academy of Arts, and Sir Michael Levey, former director of the National Gallery, London, also contributed to the conception of the exhibition.

Sponsor: The exhibition was made possible by a grant from Mobil Corporation. It was also supported by the National Gallery's Fund for the International Exchange of Art and by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Attendance: 349,518

Catalog: The Glory of Venice: Art in the Eighteenth Century, edited by Jane Martineau and Andrew Robison. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1994.

Brochure: The Glory of Venice: Art in the Eighteenth Century. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1995.

Other Venues:

  • Royal Academy of Arts, London, 09/15/1994–12/14/1995

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