Galleria dell’Accademia in Venice

The Galleria or Museo dell’Accademia is the largest art museum in Venice, housing the largest collection of paintings by artists of the Venetian school of painting from the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries. The museum building is located on the south bank of the Grand Canal, and its visit tends to be included in the cultural program of most tourists visiting the city on the water.

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Highlights

Venice has always been considered a special place that inspires artists. And it has at all times had enough money to pay the most famous masters of the brush. The Academy Gallery owes its birth to the famous Italian painter Giovanni Batista Piazetta, and it was on his initiative that in 1750 the Senate of Venice established the Academy of Fine Arts in the city, which was intended to make the city one of the centers of artistic education in the country. Within the walls of the new Academy talented Italian young people were trained in painting, sculpture and architecture. It is interesting that this educational institution was the first in Italy, where they seriously engaged in the professional training of restorers. After 57 years, the Academy of Arts received the status of the Royal Academy.

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A significant addition to the Gallery’s art collection was due to Napoleon Bonaparte. One of the main customers for paintings by famous Venetian artists were the brotherhood of artisans who produced glass. They decorated the churches of their parishes with paintings. Napoleon destroyed the glass production in Murano and closed most of the local churches. Some of the treasures collected in Venetian churches were taken to Paris and some were moved to the Venetian Academy of Art. Over the years, the collection of paintings grew, and gradually the institution was transformed into a museum.

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Even those who are not great connoisseurs of Italian painting get great pleasure from visiting the Academy Gallery. Many of the paintings on display here depict old Venice. Looking at the paintings, which are already several centuries old, tourists are surprised to realize that the beautiful Italian city has not changed much during this time.

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Gallery building

The museum’s collection of works by Venetian painters of the Middle Ages is housed in a former monastery that was built in the 16th century. In addition, the Venetian Academy Gallery occupies part of the building of the Christian church of Santa Maria della Carita, which appeared here even earlier, in the 15th century. The church hall is listed as number 23 in the museum and is used for temporary exhibitions.

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One of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal is named after the Academy of Art. It connects the buildings of the old convent and the San Marco district.

Art Collection

The collection of the museum, rightly considered one of the best in Europe, is housed in 25 rooms. Originally, there were only five museum halls, but thanks to the efforts of patrons, the unique collection has grown tremendously over the course of more than two centuries.

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For a leisurely tour of the works of art exhibited here, you should allow from 2 to 3 hours. Interestingly, in the placement of the richest art collection is not observed neither chronological nor thematic canons. And this peculiarity of the Venetian Academy Gallery confuses viewers at first.

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Today in the museum halls you can see paintings of all the recognized masters of brushwork of Venice. A special place among them is occupied by the outstanding painter Giovanni Bellini. He was able to create very delicate images in his paintings, and the artist’s masterful work with light is considered a classic of Venetian painting. His style gained many followers who called themselves “Bellinisti”. The images of the Madonna created by Bellini became a real decoration of the Venetian Gallery of the Academy.

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In addition to works by the artist himself, the museum collection contains works by his father and brother. Gentile Bellini’s historical painting “Procession in Piazza San Marco” always attracts many visitors, who linger over this painting for long periods of time.

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Among the masters of brushwork of XV-XVII centuries in the museum are represented Giorgione, Cima da Conegliano, Titian and Tintoretto. Of the eighteenth-century painters, works by Canaletto and Tiepolo can be seen here.

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Many paintings were painted by artists to decorate the halls of palaces, and are therefore large in size. A whole wall of one of the museum halls is occupied by a huge canvas of Veronese’s “Feast in the House of Levi”. Another pride of the Academy is Carpaccio’s cycle of paintings, “The Story of St. Ursula.”

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In each of the halls of the Gallery of the Academy it is worth using the information sheets, which in English and Italian indicate the names of the paintings, the years of creation of paintings and information about their authors – years and places of birth and death.

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Mode of operation and cost

Due to the constant influx of visitors, the Academy Museum is open on all days of the week and has only two non-working days a year – December 25 and January 1. On Monday it receives visitors only in the morning from 8.15 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Tuesday through Sunday from 8.15 a.m. to 7.25 p.m.

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Visitors under the age of 18 can enter the Gallery for free. For everyone else, a ticket costs 9 euros. Conveniently, for 6 euros you can use an audio guide in Russian.

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On February 14, Valentine’s Day, there is a discount. Every couple in love or married couple can get one free ticket. In addition, it is free to enter the museum on every first Sunday of the month and on days of special museum events, such as the European Heritage Days.

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You should also keep in mind that the Galleria dell’Accademia in Venice is a very popular tourist attraction. So it is almost always crowded, with a long queue gathering in front of the entrance.

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All visitors to the Gallery note the politeness and correctness of its staff. The staff working in the halls speak English and German and, at the request of visitors, help them navigate the museum collection.

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How to get there

The famous Venetian Accademia Gallery is located at Ponte dell’Accademia, Campo della Carita, 1050. You can get to this place by vaporetto traveling along the Grand Canal. The stop is the Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell’Accademia). Alternatively, you can walk from Piazza San Marco to the Gallery in 15-20 minutes.

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