The exhibition (LINK) celebrating the quincentenary of the birth of Andrea Palladio currently at the Palazzo Barabaran da Porto in Vicenza (until January 6 2009 and then transferring to the Royal Academy of Arts in London) is a stunning collection of work, which will renew interest and scholarship in its subject from both academics and practitioners. The magnificent setting in the piano nobile apartments of the palazzo are fully exploited to display engaging models and paintings of a significant portion of his work
The models, largely the property of the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio housed in the palazzo provide sectional studies of the volumes and spaces of churches, palaces and villas, and amplify the brilliance evident in the superb selection of Palladio’s original drawings (mainly from the RIBA Drawings Collection in London). The narrative sequence of the exhibition works well in the context of its setting and leads both the afficionado and the ingenue through the complex and specific context of work that changed the direction of architecture in Italy and Britain. This is a ‘must see’ show.
The RIBA promise a new online resource Palladio and Britain (LINK) coming soon.
(Even local Mancunian interest is satisfied for CiA by the presence of a pair of Canaletto’s paintings from Manchester Art Gallery depicting Palladio’s Venetian churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore).
