From Titian to Rubens

From 5th September until 1st March2020 the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, in conjunction with theCity of Antwerp, VisitFlanders and the Flemish Community, presents From Titian to Rubens: Masterpieces from Antwerp and other Flemish Collections,an exhibition curated by Ben Van Beneden, director of Rubenshuis inAntwerp. The magnificent Doge's apartments have been transformed intoveritable 'constkamers', rooms filled with exquisite art demonstratingthe riches of Flemish collections. Featuring masterpieces by artistsincluding Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and MichielSweerts, the exhibition offers a dazzling array of works, and the finestgroup of Italian and Flemish art to come to Italy.

Three icons of Venetian painting return to their hometown of Venice: Titian's Jacopo Pesaro presenting Saint Peter to Pope Alexander VI, the altarpiece of the former San Geminiano church, covered by the press worldwide as David Bowie's Tintoretto, and Titian's Portrait of a Lady and her Daughter(thought to be a depiction of Titian's mistress Milia and theirdaughter Emilia). These masterpieces from Flemish collections, bothpublic and private, are rarely lent and some have never, until now, beenshown in public.

From Titian to Rubensis a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A special section of the exhibitionis devoted to Flemish star composer Adriaan Willaert who settledpermanently in 'la Serenissima' to become Maestro di Cappella of theBasilica di San Marco in 1527. It was Willaert who founded thecelebrated Venetian School of music that was to instruct, among others,Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi.