Venice, valuable donation of drawings enriches Ca' Rezzonico: the Paolo Galli Collection arrives

Venice is celebrating a new gem in its already rich cultural landscape. The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia has enthusiastically welcomed the donation of more than 200 sheets of graphic art from the personal collection of Ambassador Paolo Galli. This extraordinary collection, which ranges from the 16th to the 20th century, is at the heart of the exhibition Una passione discreta. The Paolo Galli Collection, curated by Alberto Craievich, set up at Ca’ Rezzonico - Museo del Settecento Veneziano from October 10, 2024 to January 20, 2025.

It is a priceless heritage in terms of richness and variety, a journey that spans five centuries and includes masters of the highest level from different Italian schools. The exhibition stands out not only for its quantity, but especially for the quality of the specimens and the wide range of artistic techniques present, from pencils to chalks, inks to watercolors.

Alongside the celebrated Venetian masters of the eighteenth century, already widely represented in the Museum, such as Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo, Piazzetta, Guardi and Diziani, are added important names from the Bolognese, Roman and Florentine schools, including Annibale Carracci, Cavalier d’Arpino, Giovanni Paolo Figino and Giorgio Vasari. But the collection is not limited to the distant past: it reaches into the twentieth century, with artists such as Zoran Mušič, Giò Pomodoro, Renato Guttuso, Gino Severini and Mario Sironi, thus offering a comprehensive overview of Italian artistic events even in the short century.

Drawing, which has always been considered an intimate and refined art form, is revealed here in all its variety. The collection is distinguished by the predominance of the human figure: anatomical studies, draperies, crowded compositions, portraits and caricatures animate these sheets, giving the public a profound and unexpected visual experience. In this “colorful” collection, as it is called by experts, graphic art is freed from the traditional stereotypes that relegate it to a monochromatic or secondary art form, revealing instead the subtle fascination behind every line drawn.

Each sheet represents a challenge not only for the observer, but also for art connoisseurs, dealers and collectors, such as Paolo Galli himself, who with infinite dedication has personally identified most of the authors of the sheets in his collection. Galli describes this passion as a “benevolent virus” that drove him to collect these works, creating a personal pantheon of Italian masters, where great names stand alongside lesser-known but equally fascinating authors.

For the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, Galli’s donation represents a major intervention. It is an opportunity to further enhance the Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe, a sector that already boasts remarkable treasures. This donation, in terms of the number of works, variety of techniques and types represented, is the most important acquisition since the bequest of Nuccia and Riccardo Musatti in 1967.

The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to admire these works, some of which have been shown in international exhibitions or published in volumes devoted to graphic art. Others, however, have remained visible for years only in private settings, and are now revealed to the general public for the first time. Each drawing has been photographed and catalogued, creating a detailed documentation that will accompany the exhibition and provide a valuable tool for scholars and enthusiasts. The exhibition A Discreet Passion is not only a tribute to Paolo Galli’s collecting and artistic sensibility, but also a fundamental action for the preservation and enjoyment of these works. The drawings, in fact, are delicate works that are sensitive to light and the environment; for this reason, their display will be limited in time, so as to ensure their preservation for future generations.

The challenge that each sheet represents-identifying the author, interpreting the stroke and the intention behind each mark-is also reflected in the work of the curators and experts who set up this exhibition. It is a work of continuous study, a discovery that is renewed with each analysis, and that enriches art history with each new acquisition.

Venice, valuable donation of drawings enriches Ca' Rezzonico: the Paolo Galli Collection arrives

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.