On display the 200 original photo-etchings of Venice from Ongania 's collection Calli and Canals and Calli, Canals and Islands in the Lagoon.
Until November 2nd 2014 the
National Museum of Villa Pisani in
Strà presents the exhibition “
Light on Venice: Discovering Nineteenth-century Photography”. On display
200 precious photo-etchings of
Venice, priceless nineteenth-century originals that conserve a faithful record of the lagoon city.
Ferdinando Ongania’s masterpiece “
Calli and Canals and Calli, Canals and Islands in the Lagoon” is exhibited in its entirety for the first time.
200 pictures record the majestic palazzos mirrored in the venetian waters as well as the monumental areas of the city which have become famous thanks to the great art of
Canaletto and the others artists of the
Vedutismo. You may appreciate not only the most iconic landmarks of
Venice like St. Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs, the Grand Canal and
Rialto Bridge, but also other less famous hidden corners such as Santa Marta or San Pietro di Castello, captured by the eyes of these great artists of the XVIII-XIX century.
With no doubts,
Ferdinando Ongania was the greatest publisher to work in
Venice in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a brilliant heir of the typographical tradition of the famous
Aldo Manuzio. He gave a significant contribution to
photography that was considered a science in that period, a contribution to consolidate his development as a real urban portraiture. Moreover, Ferdinando Ongania has been the first to conceive and start a photography project about Venice in a period characterized by an heated debate about the preservation and restoration of the city and its monuments. The project constitutes the first important photo collection of that time.
TIME OPENING
April-September: from 9am to 8pm
October 1st to November 2nd: from 9am to 5pm
Closed on Monday
TICKETS
Villa + Garden + Exhibition
Full € 10 — Reducted (18-25 years) € 7,50
Free entrance under 18 and over 65