Notes of interest: If you book your ticket for an entrance time before 9:15 am you can enter for as little as €10, but make sure to check the website. I would recommend you book before travelling, at this stage it is expected for all World-renowned Museums in Europe and the Gallerie Accademia is no exception.
As you cross Ponte dell ’Accademia, you glance at the most beautiful Canal scene in the world looking over at Santa Maria della Salute. The beauty that exists outside the doors of Gallerie Accademia Venezia are very difficult to turn your back on as you enter through the front door but trust me you will not be disappointed.
The ticket office is to the right. Climb the stairs and you are now in the beautiful open plan Room 1, 1300-1450 AD with numerous fabulous quality Altarpieces and Polyptych’s. The history of the Museum and room is quite interesting. I won’t go into too much detail but at one stage Titian’s famous Assumption once hung at the end of the room before it was placed in its rightful location in the Frari.
For students of 14th century Christian Art, the Altarpieces are in pristine condition. Lorenzo Veneziano’s Polyptych, The Annunciation with Saints, Prophets, and Donor (Lion Polyptych) 1357-1359 holds the central position in Room one. It is a monumental piece which used to be housed in the Church, Sant’Antonio Abate.
A few steps up and you enter room two, now one thing that struck me at the Accademia was the intimacy you feel in larger rooms in the Museum. It is very unique here. Usually, large open spaces can be cold and lack feeling, with huge canvasses covering walls but not here, and room two is no exception. Giovanni Bellini’s work is superb, the virgin and child enthroned with saints Francis, John the Baptist, Job, Dominic, Sebastian, Louis of Toulouse and Angel Musicians (called the San Giobbe Altarpiece), 1485-1488 an enormous wood panel 471cm x 292 cm.
The next room, Room V has a beautiful Pieta by Giovanni Bellini. It is said that it is one of the high points of Bellini’s production of sacred Art. Destined for private devotion, the Virgin Mary is shown unusually as an older woman. The landscape in the background is skilfully painted and the walled city has been identified as Vicenza. In this room there are many of Bellini’s works and I am struck by his portraiture, so I have included three headshots illustrating his skill as a painter. There is also a superb Andrea Mantegna and a small Piero Della Francesca. The Curation in these rooms is tastefully executed, a profound sense of religiosity which evokes a very intimate feeling, quiet moving to be honest.
I am sure Hieronymus Bosch devotees have travelled near and far to see the Bosch room at the Accademia, it is a sight to behold, there are not many museums in the world that boast of having three superb works by Bosch I am going to hazard a guess and say the Prado in Madrid being one. Together with the Hermit Saints Triptych and the visions of the hereafter, The Martyrdom of Saint Wilgefortis (Saint Uncumber) makes up the important core of autograph works by Hieronymus Bosch. The Christian Wilgefortis, who according to legend lived in the eight century, was betrothed to the son of a pagan king of Portugal, but asked God to make her so repugnant to avoid marriage, he gave her a beard and for this the king sentenced her to death, look closely at her face and you will see the beard.
To be continued in part II...
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Alan is an avid Art Gallery visitor here in Europe. I would think I have visited approximately 33 Art related galleries(churches with works of Art also) in Europe. He has a bucket list of approximately 14 left to visit (obviously there's always more).