Canova 2022: agreement between Bassano del Grappa and Gypsotheca di Possagno

The Civic Museums of Bassano del Grappa and the Antonio Canova Gypsotheca Museum in Possagno have signed a collaboration agreement for the CANOVA 2022 celebrations, on the occasion of the two hundredth anniversary of the great artist’s death.

Both will promote awareness of the sculptor’s work and places, creating a synergy for the programming and communication of an integrated cultural offer. The Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova and the Civic Museums of Bassano del Grappa preserve in their locations most of Canova’s heritage and almost all the evidence of Antonio Canova’s original phase, such as preparatory studies, drawings, sketches, and plaster casts.

For this purpose, the two institutions have formed an organizing committee to activate the exchange of information and the organization of activities proposed on the occasion of the celebrations. Shuttle buses will also provide direct access to the two museum venues.

The Civic Museums of Bassano del Grappa kicked off the celebrations with the major restoration of the plaster model of Hebe (the sculpture was part of the donation of the sculptor’s acquired brother, Giovanni Battista Sartori Canova, made in 1852, which was severely damaged in the bombings of 1945); the restoration was made possible thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Bassano del Grappa, in collaboration with the Rotary Club Asolo and Pedemontana del Grappa. An exhibition dedicated to the restoration of the plaster sculpture will open in March 2021, and a catalog documenting the scanning and intervention phases will be presented to the public. Upon completion of the work, the statue will once again be placed in the Civic Museum of Bassano del Grappa.

At the same time, the Civic Library has initiated the project of digitizing the entire collection of Antonio Canova’s manuscript documents, their metadata and online publication, in order to create a digital archive that will allow their valorization and use by scholars and citizens. In fact, the Library holds the world’s largest collection of manuscript documents of the famous sculptor from Possagno, consisting of his epistolary (6,658 letters), notebooks, and other writings, including the Travel Notebooks 1779-1780, the Book of Accounts 1783-1788, Antonio Canova’s English Language Exercise Book, the Notes on the Journey to England 1815, and the Testaments of 1802, 1805, 1809, and 1815.

The Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno will open the celebrations with the exhibition Paolina. History of a Masterpiece, scheduled for spring 2021. Following the damage to the plaster model Paolina Bonaparte as Venus Victrix last July 31, the museum intends to pay tribute to the work by dedicating an exhibition to trace its creation and historical events.

Important will be the finalization of the digitization project of the museum’s works, which began in 2018 with the launch of the Canova Experience platform thanks to the collaboration with Asolana Group. The goal is to promote museum accessibility by integrating the Canova Experience platform with a new audioguide app and website, allowing everyone to access the historical and cultural heritage housed in Possagno.

Ph.Credit Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno

Canova 2022: agreement between Bassano del Grappa and Gypsotheca di Possagno

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