The monumental estate of the Accademia Galleries is located in the prestigious centre of the Scuola Grande of Santa Maria della Carità, one of the most ancient lay fraternal orders of the city. The homonymous church of Santa Maria and the monastery of the Canonici Lateranensi, built by Andrea Palladio, are integral parts of the Accademia.
A very rich collection of Venetian paintings from Veneto as well, from the Bizantine and Gothic fourteenth century to the artists of the Renaissance, Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto and Tiziano until Gianbattista Tiepolo and the Vedutisti of the eighteenth century, Canaletto, Guardi, Bellotto, Longhi. These artists will influence the whole history of European painting.
Artists represented include: Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Bernardo Bellotto, Pacino di Bonaguida, Canaletto, Carpaccio, Giulio Carpioni, Rosalba Carriera, Cima da Conegliano, Fetti, Pietro Gaspari, Michele Giambono, Luca Giordano, Francesco Guardi, Giorgione, Johann Liss, Charles Le Brun, Pietro Longhi, Lorenzo Lotto, Mantegna, Rocco Marconi, Michele Marieschi, Antonello da Messina, Piazzetta, Giovanni Battista Pittoni, Preti, Giambattista Tiepolo, Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese (Paolo Caliari), Vasari, Leonardo da Vinci (Drawing of Vitruvian Man), Alvise Vivarini, and Giuseppe Zais.
History
L'Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia was founded in 1750 by the Venetian Senate as Venice’s school of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Installed as its first president was Giambattista Piazzetta, with other advisors Giambattista Pittoni and Gianmaria Morlaiter. The aim was to replicate official institutions which had existed for many years in other major artistic centers including Rome (Accademia di San Luca), Florence (Accademia del Disegno), Milan, and Bologna (Accademia Clementina). It was one of the first institutions to study art restoration starting in 1777 with Pietro Edwards, and formalized by 1819 as a course. Among teachers at the Academy in past and modern times were Tiepolo, Hayez, Nono, Ettore Tito, Arturo Martini, Alberto Viani, Carlo Scarpa, Afro, Santomaso, and Emilio Vedova.
The Accademia was renamed the Accademia Reale di Belle Arti and moved to its present premises in 1807 by order of the Napoleonic occupying forces. This administration had disbanded many institutions in Venice including some churches, convents and Scuole. The Scuola della Carità, the Convento dei Canonici Lateranensi and the church of Santa Maria della Carità thus became the home of the Accademia. The Scuola della Carità was the oldest of the six Scuole Grande and the building dates back to 1343, though the scuola was formed in 1260. The Convento dei Canonici Lateranensi was started in 1561 by Palladio, though it was never fully completed. The facade of Santa Maria della Carità was completed in 1441 by Bartolomeo Bon.
Opening Hours
Monday from 8.15 am until 2.00 pm (last entrance at 1.15 pm)
From Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15 am until 7.15 pm (last entrance at 6.30 pm)
Closed on: 1 January, 1 May, 25 December
Tickets
Full price ticket: € 6,50 (+ € 1,00 as reservation fee)
Reduced price ticket: € 3,25 (+ € 1,00 as reservation fee)
- European citizens aged 18 to 25 with identification document
- Permanent state teachers without their school group
- European citizens under 18 years of age
- European citizens over 65 years of age
- European teachers and students from the school of architecture, preservation of the cultural heritage, science of liberal education and from the courses of art degree or literary subjects with an archaeological or artistic curriculum from the faculty of literature and philosophy
- Employed for the Ministry of Culture and Heritage
- Members of voluntary associations which promote and popularize the knowledge of the cultural heritage (on the basis of special agreement stipulated with the Ministry – art. 12, 8th paragraph of the Code)
- Members of the ICOM (International Council of Museums)
- European disabled people attende by a membeer of their family or by a care worker
- journalists
- Students and teachers of European Private and Public Schools
- Licensed tourist guides
- Licensed interpreters in collaboration with tourist guides
- European tourist guides in the exercise of their duties
- Tourist interpreters working with a tourist guide
