Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Medieval highlights include elaborate altarpieces and golden-haloed Madonnas, all
paintedatatimewhenrealism,depthoffield,andemotionwereconsideredbesidethepoint.
Medieval Venetians, with their close ties to the East, borrowed techniques such as gold-leaf-
ing, frontal poses, and “iconic” faces from the religious icons of Byzantium (modern-day
Istanbul).
Among early masterpieces of the Renaissance are Mantegna's studly
St. George
and Gi-
orgione's mysterious
The Tempest
. As the Renaissance reaches its heights, so do the paint-
ings, such as Titian's magnificent
Presentation of the Virgin.
It's a religious scene, yes, but
it's really just an excuse to display secular splendor (Titian was the most famous painter of
hisday—perhapsevenmorefamousthanMichelangelo).Veronese'ssumptuous
Feastinthe
House of Levi
also has an ostensibly religious theme (in the middle, find Jesus eating his fi-
nal meal)—but it's outdone by the luxury and optimism of Renaissance Venice. Life was a
good thing and beauty was to be enjoyed. (Veronese was hauled before the Inquisition for
painting such a bawdy Last Supper...so he fine-tuned the title). End your tour with Guardi's
and Canaletto's painted “postcards” of the city—landscapes for visitors who lost their hearts
to the romance of Venice.
Cost and Hours:
€11, dull audioguide-€5, Mon 8:15-14:00, Tue-Sun 8:15-19:15, last
entry 45 minutes before closing, no photos allowed. At Accademia Bridge, vaporetto: Acca-
demia, tel. 041-522-2247,
www.gallerieaccademia.org
.
Avoiding Lines:
In peak season, visit early or late to miss the crowds (300 people are
allowed in at any one time).
Renovation:
Thismuseumseemstobeinaconstantstateofdisarray.Amajorexpansion
and renovation has been dragging on for years, and the halls feel like a gallery from the
1960s. Paintings come and go, but still, the museum contains sumptuous art—the best in
Venice. Be flexible: You'll probably just end up wandering around and matching descrip-
tions to blockbuster paintings when you find them.
The popular museum of far-out art, housed in the American heiress' former retirement
palazzo, offers one of Europe's best reviews of the art of the first half of the 20th century.
StrollthroughstylesrepresentedbyartistswhomPeggyknewpersonally—Cubism(Picasso,
Braque), Surrealism (Dalí, Ernst), Futurism (Boccioni), American Abstract Expressionism
(Pollock), and a sprinkling of Klee, Calder, and Chagall.
Cost and Hours:
€12, usually includes temporary exhibits, audioguide-€7, Wed-Mon
10:00-18:00, closed Tue, no photos inside, pricey café, 5-minute walk from the Accademia
Bridge, vaporetto: Accademia or Salute, tel. 041-240-5411,
www.guggenheim-venice.it
.
