Accademia

The Accademia

The Accademia is located on the southern bank of the Grand Canal near to the bridge of the same name which connects the Dorsoduro and San Marco districts.

The Accademia is primarily a museum of art. It was founded in 1750 as the Venice School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture with the intention that it should rival other prestigious academies in Rome, Milan and Bologna.

The Accademia was transferred to its current premises after the Napoleonic invasion of 1797. The French closed many traditional fraternities, particularly the six "scuole grande", as part of its policy of eliminating any organisation which had previously possessed power and influence.

One such institution, the Scuola della Carita, founded in 1260, was the oldest of the six scuole grande. Its former premises, which incorporate a splendid 15th century facade by Bartolomeo Bon, now serve as the entrance hall to the Accademia and house the Byzantine and Gothic collections.

The Scuola della Carita was amalgamated with two neighbouring institutions which had also been closed by the Napoleonic authorities. The first, the Convento dei Canonici Lateranensi, completed to a design by Palladio, had been seriously damaged by fire in 1630. Its former cloisters now house the baroque and renaissance collections. The second, the former church of Santa Maria della Carita, dates from the 12th century, but was extensively rebuilt by Bartolomeo Bon in the 1440's. Its facade is still clearly identifiable as a 15th century Gothic church but its interior has been split into two floors: the first houses the Venetian College of Art and the second is used for temporary exhibitions.

The museum comprises four principal collections: Byzantine and International Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque Genre and Landscape, and Ceremonial Paintings.

The paintings of the Byzantine and International Gothic Gallery possess the sharp-angled linear features typical of the Gothic period, blended with golden Byzantine backdrops. The collection is intended to demonstrate the influence of Byzantine art on Venetian painters in the Middle Ages.

The renaissance collection contains many of the masterpieces which transformed Venice into a major cultural centre during the 16th century. Amongst the most notable pictures on display are the Feast of Levi (1573) by Palo Veronese, which covers the entire wall of one exhibition room, and Giovanni Bellini's equally monumental altarpiece for the church of San Giobbe (1490).

The baroque, genre and landscape collection exhibits the work of several baroque masters who migrated to Venice in search of patronage and inspiration, such as Bernardo Strozzi whose Feast of Simon, based on Veronese's "Feast of the Levi", is exhibited there. There are also numerous pastoral and society paintings including works by Zuccarelli, Ricci, and Pietro Longhi and some notable landscapes, particularly by Canaletto.

The ceremonial collection contains numerous canvasses which depict religious events, often against the backdrop of renaissance Venice, thus providing a fascinating insight into the life and culture of the period. These works include Carpaccio's "Legend of Saint Ursula" and the Holy Cross cycle of paintings by Bellini, Bastiani and others which were seized from the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in 1797.

The Accademia has been criticised for retaining works of art confiscated by the French from churches, convents and scuole. The contrary view is that such treasures are too valuable to be scattered amongst several venues.

Accademia San Giovanni San Marco San Rocco Carmini San Giorgio