Ca' Pesaro - Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna

Ca' Pesaro houses Venice's International Gallery of Modern Art in a Baroque palace on the Grand Canal. The building's patrician architecture and its later support for modern artists connect two distinct histories of artistic patronage.

Why it matters

Felicita Bevilacqua La Masa's 1898 bequest to the city reserved a role for young artists. The palace became the gallery's home in 1902, and exhibitions on its mezzanine between 1908 and 1924 offered an alternative to the official Biennale.

What to notice

The canal façade combines diamond-point rustication, sculptural ornament and paired central portals. The entrance hall connects the waterfront with a courtyard and monumental wellhead. The gallery's holdings include Klimt's Judith II and works by Chagall and Medardo Rosso. A separate Museum of Oriental Art shares the palace; its core derives from Enrico di Borbone's acquisitions during his 1887–1889 journey in the Far East.

Context and history

Baldassarre Longhena began the Pesaro family's palace in 1659. After his death in 1682, Gian Antonio Gaspari completed it in 1710, following the original design. Later ownership changes preceded the bequest that transformed the residence into a civic centre for modern art.