An essay reveals the background of the painting market in Venice in the 18th century

From the Grand Tour to the present day, admiration for artists such as Michele Marieschi, Canaletto, and Francesco Guardi has been unbroken. Indeed, to them we owe the initiation and establishment of one of the most beloved genres in the European figurative context.

Enlightening us on some previously unpublished scenarios comes Federica Spadotto’s essay, in which, for the first time, the critical focus shifts from the great collectors to the real commercial dynamics that involved the artists themselves, as well as intermediaries, diplomats and the so-called “picture store owners.” The latter, owners of shops/workshops for the retail sale of paintings, decreed, together with figures such as Consul Smith or John Strange -of whom the unpublished correspondence with the Venetian intendant Giovanni Maria Sasso is made known-, the fate of the landscape and veduta artists. Between anecdotes, reflections and documents, the paintings parade to illustrate a scenario with unexpected implications, where lights and shadows of the lagoon market become a metaphor of our time.

The volume will be presented on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 5 p.m. - The Westin Palace Milano, Piazza della Repubblica, 20.

I am ’700. The soul of Venice among painters, merchants and shopkeepers from paintings by Federica Spadotto, 250 pp., Cierre Grafica, Caselle di Sommacampagna, Verona, 2018, €45.00

Article written by Fabrizio Dessie

An essay reveals the background of the painting market in Venice in the 18th century

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