 | "Capriccio of a Renaissance Palace" is one of the works by Giovanni Antonio Canal (called Canaletto) on view in the new exhibition. |
Paintings of England by a renowned Venetian artist will be featured in a new exhibition opening on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Yale Center for British Art.
The Italian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), known as Canaletto, is most famous for his views of Venice, where he spent most of his life. The Yale show -- titled "Canaletto in England: A Venetian Artist Abroad, 1746-1755" -- features nearly 60 paintings and drawings that the artist created during a 10-year stay in England, making it the most ambitious survey of Canaletto's work during his time there. It will be on view through Dec. 31.
The 18th century was a time when Anglo-Venetian cultural relations flourished, and Canaletto was popular with English patrons. This popularity was greatly assisted by Joseph Smith, a successful merchant and collector who settled in Venice in 1700 and was named British consul there in 1744. Smith hosted many British aristocrats on their Grand Tours, exposing them to Venice's leading contemporary artists, foremost among them Canaletto. The artist's fame spread to England as those patrons returned home with his works. In the 1740s, Canaletto's strong ties with wealthy English collectors inspired him to leave his native Venice for London, where he expected to profit from a healthy economy and art market.
Many of the subjects Canaletto painted in England document the major construction projects that were then taking place in London and farther afield. The artist spent prolonged periods out of the city, painting his patrons' country houses, including views for Lord Brooke, the future Earl of Warwick ("Warwick Castle" is considered one of the British Art Center's great treasures); the Duke of Beaufort; and the future Duke of Northumberland, whose descendant, the current duke, has lent four paintings to the exhibition.
Unlike all previous exhibitions, this show emphasizes the diverse nature of Canaletto's work in England. It includes works in which he translated the pictorial conceits developed in his earlier Venetian views to his English subject matter, as well as the Italian fantastical views that Canaletto painted in England, largely in response to the demand of his local patrons. In bringing these works together for the first time, "Canaletto in England" aims to highlight the Venetian painter's contribution to English art and culture.
The exhibition was co-organized by the Yale Center for British Art and Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, where the show will be on view Jan. 24-April 15. The guest curator is Charles Beddington, an independent scholar and former fellow at the British Art Center. The organizing curators at Yale are Julia Marciari Alexander, associate director for exhibitions and publications, and Angus Trumble, curator of paintings and sculpture.
A full-color catalogue to accompany the exhibition has been published by the British Art Center and the Dulwich Picture Gallery in association with Yale University Press. The catalogue was written by Beddington and features essays by Brian Allen and Francis Russell.
There will be two events in October related to the "Canaletto in England" exhibition. To mark the opening of the exhibition, Brian Allen, director of studies at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London, will discuss "Canaletto in London: Painting the Spacious Metropolis in the Mid-Eighteenth Century" on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 5:30 p.m. Beddington will present an "Art in Context" talk at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Watch the Yale Calendar of Events for future activities.
"Canaletto in England: A Venetian Artist Abroad, 1746-1755" is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.
The Yale Center for British Art, located at 1080 Chapel St., is open to the public free of charge 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. There will be special late-night hours Wednesdays until 8 p.m. through Nov. 22, and Thursdays until 8 p.m. Dec. 7-21. The museum is accessible to individuals using wheelchairs. For further information, call the center at (203) 432-2800 or visit the website at www.yale.edu/ycba.
T H I S
Exhibit features paintings of England
by Venetian artist 'Canaletto'
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