Canaletto and the Art of Venice at the Queen's Gallery

A beautiful exhibition of the adored Venetian view-painter Canaletto and his contemporaries, which transports the visitor to stunningly picturesque 18th century Venice complete with the allure of its lavish celebrations, carnival, theatre and opera.
Acquired by King George III in 1762, this collection of more than 200 paintings. drawings and prints, once belonged, amazingly, to one man, Joseph Smith, British Consul to Venice. Smith was Canaletto's main patron and acted as his agent, introducing him to British Grand Tourists, securing commissions and shipping Canaletto's paintings to Britain. Smith commissioned large works for his own Venetian Palazzo Balbi from Canaletto and Marco Ricci, both of whom had trained as theatrical scenery painters. He would show off these works to the British aristocracy on their Grand Tours and thus encourage them to order their own versions as souvenirs. Hence, the reason so many Canalettos are to be found in British private and public art collections, National Trust properties and stately homes and yet so few in Italian art collections.
Joseph Smith was also an avid collector of other 18th century Venetian artists such as Sebastiano Ricci, Francesco Zucarelli, Giovanni Battistat Piazzetta and Pietro Longhi, all of whose works are featured in this exhibtion. Rosalba Carriera is particularly fascinating as she was a female artist, which was highly unusual at that time, and pioneered the technique of pastel in her exquisite portraits and allegorical figures.
The quality and scope of this well put-together show is ravishing and it is well worth making a trip to Buckingham Palace to see it!
Canaletto and the Art of Venice, The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until 12th November 2017