VENICE: Bellini to Titian
A new display of Venetian paintings in the collection.
A new display of Venetian paintings in the collection.
This summer, Room 29 is a space for experimenting.
With Venetian paintings as our subject, we'd like to hear your feedback on the way we display and provide information about our paintings.
You can find out about the paintings by following our themed tours listed below on the page. Take one or all and then let us know what you think. We'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.
This redisplay of Venetian Renaissance pictures in Room 29 celebrates the major refurbishment of this room, made possible through the generous support of the Wolfson Foundation.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Republic of Venice was one of the wealthiest and most culturally diverse city states in Europe.
Its merchant fleet dominated Mediterranean commerce and trade. Its influence spread from Northern Europe to the Turkish Ottoman Empire and beyond. Venice was ruled by an elite class of patricians rather than a hereditary court, which secured long-standing political stability to the region
The Republic’s cosmopolitan culture fostered astonishing creative activity. Situated on the water, the city of Venice was an environment of shimmering light and ever-shifting colours. This informed its painters who, with access to the best imported pigments, developed new means of applying and nuancing colour to render the effects of atmosphere and texture. They further benefitted from a wide variety of patrons, including the government, religious confraternities, and a learned aristocracy.
From Bellini and Mantegna to Bassano and Titian, explore the development of painting in 'La Serenissima' through the Gallery’s exceptional collection of Venetian paintings.
From Madonnas and ‘belle donne’ to classical heroines and biblical saints, images of women proliferated in Renaissance Venice.
Pioneering the life-like rendition of landscape in European art.
Renaissance Venice was a magnet for artists from across Italy and beyond. Why did painters travel to the city?
Watch ‘For Phillip II, King of Spain’ performed by Maz Hedgehog.
This is a YouTube video player. Below the video are the title, view time and description. Below that is a carousel of video thumbnails. Clicking a thumbnail will load and play that video.
Maz Hedgehog performs a new poem responding to Titian's 'Diana and Callisto', and discusses the complex relationship between artists and their patrons with National Gallery educator, Fiona Alderton.
All paintings in Room 29