Canaletto’s Venice Revisited

Charming exhibition at the National Maritime Museum of paintings of Venice by Canaletto.

The show had 26 pictures commissioned by Lord John Russell, the future 4th Earl of Bedford in 1731 for £188. The show included one of the invoices for an instalment from the agent Joseph Smith.

They were nicely hung at eye level so you could see all the wonderful details and felt like walking round a set of large postcards. There were good maps to show you where the sites were and each had a good explanation of the view and the techniques used. They were roughly arranged by type of site eg squares, churches etc.

It was a nice touch to have a section at the end on modern Venice and the environmental issues it faces.

Closes 25 September 2022

Reviews

Guardian

Telegraph

Evening Standard

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/canalettos-venice-revisited-national-maritime-

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