Ca' Pesaro, a huge Palazzo on the Grand Canal, was commissioned in the 17th century by some prominent members of the noble Pesaro family, who served the Venetian Republic as doges, ambassadors and admirals.
The building was designed by Baldassarre Longhena, the greatest Baroque architect in Venice. Due to the extremely elaborate decoration with grotesque stone masks, bas-reliefs and powerful rustications, the construction took over sixty years.
In 1908 this superb dwelling was converted into the International Gallery of Modern Art, hosting an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures, mostly purchased at “La Biennale” Art Exhibition, from 1895 to 1960's. Ca' Pesaro's unique heritage provides a comprehensive overview of the 19th cent. artistic development in Venice and its relationships with the European avantgardes.
The large halls of the museum still preserve the original decoration and the charme of the old Palazzo. On the walls are displayed works by Auguste Rodin, Franz Von Stuck, Marc Chagall, Gustav Klimt, Pierre Bonnard, Pierre Matisse, Paul Klee, Medardo Rosso, Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio de Chirico and many other remarkable Italian artists.
Another milestone of the Modern Age in Venice is the Fortuny Museum, for many years home to the famous painter, learned man, and stage designer Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (Granada 1871 - Venice 1949). He chose to live in a historical Gothic home that soon became his own atelier of photography, painting, stage and textile design, frequented by Eleonora Duse, Isadora Duncan, Sara Bernhardt and other famous artists.
The interiors display original furnishings, precious tapestries, an extensive number of objects and materials purchased in Western and Eastern countries during his trips, the silk fabrics designed and printed by himself, together with his famous lamps, such as “Sherazade”, and the “Shields”, testimony of his eclectic interests and of his international relationships at the turn of the 19th century.
3 hour tour: Guide fee: 225€, only private parties. Up to six people.
Ca' Pesaro: 8 € per person.
Fortuny Museum 9 € per person.
