Carpaccio, Bellini and the Early Renaissance in Venice

Vittore Carpaccio (ca. 1460/65 – 1525/26) is one of the most prominent painters of the Early Renaissance in Venice. He stages his colourful and richly detailed pictorial narratives against the picturesque scenery of the lagoon city or the landscapes of the Middle East. His works are populated by lifelike figures.
Around 1500 he is one of the Venetian painters most in demand, and counts masters like Giovanni Bellini (ca. 1435 – 1516) among his competitors. So how does Carpaccio manage to assert his unique position as a chronicler of Venetian life?

For the first time in Germany, we are dedicating an exhibition to Carpaccio and present some of his most important paintings in comparison to selected
works by Giovanni Bellini. Paintings and drawings by other artists active in Venice between 1465 and 1525, including Gentile Bellini and Lorenzo Lotto, will
further enhance the presentation. The work “Untitled (St. George Slaying a Dragon)” (2022) by Ai Weiwei will also be shown.

Two major works by Carpaccio from the collection of the Staatsgalerie were restored and examined for the exhibition: the monumental altarpiece “Saint
Thomas Aquinas with Saint Mark and Saint Louis of Toulouse” (1507) and the “Martyrdom of St Stephen” (1520) from the cycle for the confraternity of St Stephen in Venice. In these large paintings, Carpaccio creates an imaginary world that is also reminiscent of Venice of his time. 

About 55 paintings and artworks on paper will be presented in the exhibition, including outstanding loans from Venice, Florence, Budapest and Washington, demonstrating how Carpaccio fashioned himself as one of the most successful artists of the early Renaissance in Venice through his highly original painting style.

Credit: Vittore Carpaccio, The Virgin Reading, ca 1505, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Samuel H. Kress Collection, © National Gallery of Art, Washington