Istituto di Storia dell’Arte Archives - Fondazione Giorgio Cini

Istituto: Istituto di Storia dell’Arte

Casanova and Venice

On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Giacomo Casanova, an emblematic figure of 18th-century Europe, the Fondazione Giorgio Cini is dedicating a major exhibition and cultural project to the celebrated Venetian. The first chapter of the double exhibition opens at Palazzo Cini in San Vio, from September 27, 2025 to March 2, 2026.

Curated by the Institute of Art History, with the participation of the Institute for Theater and Opera, the exhibition traces the multifaceted figure of Casanova – scholar, memoirist, philosopher, alchemist, traveler, and diplomat – throughout the restless century of the 18th century that ended with the fall of the Serenissima.

Through nearly one hundred works including paintings, engravings, books, objets d’art and documents from the Foundation’s collections and prestigious Italian and European institutions, the exhibition recounts the refined, cultured and contradictory world of the Venetian eighteenth century – Casanova’s century.

The exhibition is part of a wider cultural program involving all the Fondazione Giorgio Cini institutions, with conferences, concerts and seminars dedicated to the link between Casanova, Venice and Europe. These are also the two main themes of the double exhibition, articulated in two venues:

Casanova and Venice at Palazzo Cini in San Vio (September 27, 2025 – March 2, 2026) with a focus on Venice, the birthplace and the first stage of Casanova’s life.

Casanova and Venice at Palazzo Cini in San Vio (Sept. 27, 2025-March 2, 2026) with focus on Venice, the birthplace and the first stage of Casanova’s life.

Casanova and Europe. An Opera in Multiple Acts on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore (Oct. 17, 2025 – March 2, 2026): a look at Europe and the network of travels, relationships and adventures that made Casanova an ante litteram European figure. The exhibition Casanova and Europe. Opera in Multiple Acts is produced in collaboration for the staging with the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice.

 

“Il gusto dei ferraresi” nel collezionismo di Vittorio Cini

A new event organised by the Institute of Art History at the Castle of Monselice: on Wednesday, 4 June, a conference entitled “Il gusto dei ferraresi” nel collezionismo di Vittorio Cini (“The Taste of the Ferrarese” in the Collecting of Vittorio Cini) will take place.

The conference “Il gusto dei ferraresi” nel collezionismo di Vittorio Cini, curated by Alessandra Pattanaro (University of Padua), one of the leading experts on sixteenth-century Ferrarese painting, will focus on the presentation of the painting Allegoria dell’Abbondanza (Allegory of Abundance), housed at the Castle of Monselice and now attributed to Camillo Filippi. Filippi was a Ferrarese painter whose activity is well documented in the archives of the Este ducal court. The event will explore the particular significance of this work within the collection of Vittorio Cini, a passionate seeker of “Ferrarese things”, inspired by his friend, art critic Nino Barbantini, and the art historian Federico Zeri. It was under their guidance, during the 1950s and 1960s, that Count Cini assembled the remarkable core of his collection of Este painting.

Free admission subject to availability
RSVP info@roccadimonselice.it

Art Conversations

The Art Conversations at Palazzo Cini are back.

In this season’s series, art historians and experts will guide the public through the discovery of the art treasures in Vittorio Cini’s collection. Medieval and Renaissance masterpieces will be discussed and illustrated, delving into the themes and distinctive features each work encompasses. A special meeting is dedicated to “The Guest at the Palace”: The Crucified Christ by Antoon Van Dyck, an extraordinary loan from the Royal Palace of Genoa.

Participation is free and open to all, subject to booking via email: palazzocini@cini.it.

 

30 April | h 17:00
Cristina Guarnieri
University of Padua

14 May | h 17:00
Mari Pietrogiovanna
University of Padua

28 May | h 17:00
Roberto Cara, Valentina Lapierre
Art Historians, Ferrara

5 June | h 17:00
Loredana Luisa Pavanello
Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice

    Institute of Art History

    The Institute of Art History promotes meetings and study conferences, whilst preserving a remarkable collection of artworks, particularly drawings, paintings, illustrated manuscripts, and rare books. Additionally, it houses the archives and collections of esteemed art historians specialising in the art of the Veneto region. The Institute is also actively involved in publishing catalogues, book series, and journals, and it organises significant exhibitions of ancient, modern, and contemporary art.

    The Institute of Art History was founded in 1954 through the initiative of Giuseppe Fiocco, following an agreement between the University of Padua and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. It was established in the tradition of German art history institutes. The Institute was officially introduced at the XVIII International Congress of the History of Art, held in Venice in 1955. From the outset, the development of the book collections began, notably with the acquisition of the Fiocco Library and the Photo Library. In the 1960s, thanks to Vittorio Cini, the Institute’s research was further enriched by a substantial collection of artworks. The Institute houses the Photo Library, which contains an impressive historical photographic archive, and the Library, one of the largest in the art world in terms of volumes. Since 2012, it has also been home to the Glass Study Centre, as well as the collections of Palazzo Cini at San Vio.

    The Institute publishes two Class A scientific journals, recognised by ANVUR. These are Arte Veneta, founded in 1947 under the direction of Rodolfo Pallucchini, and Saggi e Memorie di Storia dell’Arte, which has been publishing contributions on Italian and European art with an interdisciplinary approach since 1957.

    Since 2013, the Institute has been directed by Luca Massimo Barbero.

    721st Cavallino Exhibition Anticipazioni memorative. Anselmi-Costalonga-Fulgenzi-Patelli-Perusini, 1970: proof prints featuring images from the opening.

    The Institute, founded in 1954, promotes and supports research in the field of art history, with a particular focus on the Veneto region. It preserves a remarkable collection of artworks, as well as documentary and photographic archives. The Institute also publishes scientific works and organises exhibitions of ancient, modern, and contemporary art.

    Events

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    GLASS STUDY CENTRE

    The Glass Study Centre, established in 2012 in partnership with Pentagram Stiftung, is now the most important general archive of Venetian glass. Over the years, it has gathered invaluable documentary collections from the major historical glassworks of Murano. With its two hundred and fifty thousand documents, including drawings, sketches, and executive projects, the Centre is unique in its field. The collection of graphic archives is further complemented by period photographs, correspondence, albums, gold books, and valuable catalogues. Additionally, there are warehouse and shipment registers, patents, and invoices precious materials for reconstructing the history of glassmaking activities.

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    PALAZZO CINI

    The Galleria of Palazzo Cini, a refined house-museum in San Vio, Dorsoduro, was reopened in 2014 and hosts exhibitions of ancient and contemporary art. Founded in 1984, it preserves a precious nucleus of the antique art collection of one of the most important collectors of the 20th century in Italy: the entrepreneur and philanthropist Vittorio Cini (1885-1977).

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    Institute of Art History

    DIRECTOR
    Luca Massimo Barbero
    CONTACTS
    arte@cini.it

    «Saggi e Memorie di storia dell’arte» 44 (2020

    • Francesca Girelli, Il Maestro delle Virtù di sant’Ansovino: sei nuove statue in Romania e alcune riflessioni su uno scultore del Trecento adriatico

     

    • Lorenzo Principi, Una predella per il Sant’Andrea di Andrea Ferrucci nella cattedrale di Firenze

     

    • Francesco Saracino, Isabella d’Este e il “presepio con santo Zoanne Baptista”

     

    • Antonella Chiodo, Il testamento artistico di Orsola Maddalena Caccia e il ruolo delle sorelle Bottero pittrici nel monastero di Moncalvo

     

    • Simone Guerriero, “Sa temprar col scalpel anco la penna”: per il profilo di Bernardo Falconi

     

    • Gianpasquale Greco, “Assai più credeva egli di sapere di quello che effettivamente sapesse”: Oronzo Malinconico (1661-1709), pittore napoletano
    nella scia di Luca Giordano

     

    • Enrico Noè, Gli altari della demolita chiesa di Santa Lucia

     

    • Antonella Bellin, Elena Catra, Anticipando Ruskin. Considerazioni sulla rivalutazione della Presentazione di Gesù al Tempio di Carpaccio nelle prime decadi dell’Ottocento

     

    • Stefania Portinari, “Oh Venezia!”. Le intermittenze del cuore di Filippo de Pisis e i cieli alati di nuvole

     

    • Ambra Cascone, Un poeta alla Biennale: Attilio Bertolucci a Venezia nel 1948 e le cronache per la “Gazzetta di Parma”

    La “splendida” Venezia di Francesco Morosini 1619-1694: cerimoniali, arti, cultura

    Edited by Matteo Casini, Simone Guerriero and Vincenzo Mancini

    Fondazione Giorgio Cini / Marsilio, Venice 2022

    This book brings together the proceedings of the international conference on Francesco Morosini, known as the Peloponnesian (1619-1694), organ- ised by the Institute of Art History as part of the events promoted by the Committee for the Celebrations of the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Francesco Morosini and held at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. An admiral, diplomat and then doge, Morosini was the last of the illustrious patricians who made the Serenissima Republic great. He restored some of its former political influence on the international stage and revived the Venetians’ dream of possessing a maritime empire.

    The book presents the results of the individual papers, arranged ac- cording to the thematic lines addressed during the two days in Venice. Among the topics examined and illustrated by speakers selected from

    «Saggi e Memorie di storia dell’arte» 44 (2020)

    Edited by the Istituto di Storia dell’Arte

     

    • Francesca Girelli, Il Maestro delle Virtù di sant’Ansovino: sei nuove statue in Romania e alcune riflessioni su uno scultore del Trecento adriatico
    • Lorenzo Principi, Una predella per il Sant’Andrea di Andrea Ferrucci nella cattedrale di Firenze
    • Francesco Saracino, Isabella d’Este e il “presepio con santo Zoanne Baptista”
    • Antonella Chiodo, Il testamento artistico di Orsola Maddalena Caccia e il ruolo delle sorelle Bottero pittrici nel monastero di Moncalvo
    • Simone Guerriero, “Sa temprar col scalpel anco la penna”: per il profilo di Bernardo Falconi
    • Gianpasquale Greco, “Assai più credeva egli di sapere di quello che effettivamente sapesse”: Oronzo Malinconico (1661-1709), pittore napoletano nella scia di Luca Giordano
    • Enrico Noè, Gli altari della demolita chiesa di Santa Lucia
    • Antonella Bellin, Elena Catra, Anticipando Ruskin. Considerazioni sullarivalutazione della Presentazione di Gesù al Tempio di Carpaccio nelleprime decadi dell’Ottocento
    • Stefania Portinari, “Oh Venezia!”. Le intermittenze del cuore di Filippode Pisis e i cieli alati di nuvole
    • Ambra Cascone, Un poeta alla Biennale: Attilio Bertolucci a Venezianel 1948 e le cronache per la “Gazzetta di Parma”

    Trésors de Venise. La collection Cini

    In 2021 the Fondazione Giorgio Cini celebrated its seventieth anniversary with a series of events dedicated to its founder, Vittorio Cini. His collections and role as a patron of the arts, a “humanist and philanthropist”, were the subject of the exhibition Trésors de Venise. La Collection Cini (19 November 2021 – 27 March 2022), jointly organised by the Foundation and the Parisien cultural institution Culturespaces at the Hôtel de Cau- mont-Centre d’Art, an 18th-century hôtel particulier in Aix-en-Provence. The exhibition featured a highly varied array of ninety-five works: paintings (including masterpieces from the Palazzo Cini Gallery by artists such as Lippi, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Piero di Cosimo and Pontormo), sculptures, objets d’art, drawings, prints, miniatures, illuminated manuscripts and illustrated books. The exhibition explored Vittorio Cini’s taste and very diverse interests and influences while reconstructing the social and cultural background to his collecting.

    In essays by Luca Massimo Barbero, Daniela Ferretti, Alessandro Martoni and Maurizio Reberschak, this catalogue published by Hazan charts the stages in his long life and his successful career as an entrepreneur in 20th-century Italy. It then focuses on his role from the 1930s to the 1960s

    Catalogo del fondo Cesare Grassetti della Fondazione Giorgio Cini

    Catalogo del fondo Cesare Grassetti della Fondazione Giorgio Cini

    Edited by D. Danesi and I. Maschietto
    Leo S. Olschki, Florence, 2020

     

    Following on from the Catalogo del fondo librario antico della Fondazione Giorgio Cini compiled by Dennis E. Rhodes and published by Olschki in 2011, the Catalogo del fondo Cesare Grassetti della Fondazione Giorgio Cini has been published in the same series, entitled “Biblio- teca di Bibliografia”. Put together by the Milanese lawyer Cesare Grassetti from the 1950s to the late 1980s, the collection consists of over 830 15th- and 16th-century editions, already included in the library’s electronic catalogue. Working for this printed catalogue, however, enabled the authors to examine the books in greater depth, with a special focus on the data relating to specific copies. The Grassetti Collection fits in well with the Foundation’s “original” collection, enhancing not only the section of Venetian editions (the library has a remarkable group of them), but also the productions from minor printing centres, thus increasing the number of unique exemplars preserved on San Giorgio.

    Catalogo della raccolta di miniature della Fondazione Giorgio Cini

    Edited by Massimo Medica and Federica Toniolo
    Silvana editoriale, Cinisello Balsamo, 2016

    Edited by Massimo Medica and Federica Toniolo, who also wrote the two introductory essays, this book is result of a challenging, long study campaign aimed at the complete cataloguing of the miniatures in the Fondazione Giorgio Cini collection. Around  fty scholars were involved, including many leading experts in the  eld of the illuminated manuscript. Presented to the Foundation in 1962 by Vittorio Cini, the collection is one of the most important anthologies of illuminated pages and cuttings of initials, mostly from liturgical books (graduals and antiphonals).  e book o ers a scholarly description of the collection in the form of around 250 index cards, illustrated by numerous images. anks to its highly varied, wide-ranging and chronological nature, the collection is representative of the Italian regional schools of illumination from the 11th to the 16th centuries and includes works by some of the prominent illuminators from the late 13th to the early 16th centuries, such as Neri da Rimini, Lippo Vanni, Cristoforo Cortese, Berardo da Teramo, Belbello da Pavia, Franco dei Russi, Taddeo Crivelli, Francesco Marmitta and Beato Angelico.

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