The Covid Diaries 38, Venice Edition: Ca’ Pesaro incl. Homage to Umberto Moggioli

Review of a visit to the Ca’ Pesaro museum in Venice. In which I am intrigued and invigorated by the juxtaposition of forward-looking art collection and strangely old-fashioned Asian art museum.

Ca’ Pesaro – Possible to Visit on a Trip to Venice, with Good Planning

Ca’ Pesaro is one of the more unexpected museums in Venice, but a very charming one. It is home to both a modern art gallery with an Italian focus and an Asian art museum. It is also in a lovely old palace on the Grand Canal. If nothing else it is worth visiting for the cafe alone which overlooks the canal from what must once have been the water gate for residents and guests. But its compact size and eclectic displays make the museum a worthwhile visit for any visitor to Venice. Currently this requires some good planning. Ca’ Pesaro has only been open again since 11 September and is still only open on Fridays to Sundays. I visited just after opening on a Friday morning with no fuss or prior reservation so it’s definitely doable.

A Potted History of Ca’ Pesaro

A preface of Ca’ in Venice just means ‘house’. As in, Ca’ Pesaro was once the house of the Pesaro family. So it is a nice big palace in proper Venetian style, build between 1659 and 1710. It is oriented towards the canal with beautiful marble floors, slightly lop-sided staircases and the original decoration of some rooms still visible in a few places. The Pesaro family had died out by 1830 when their own art collection was dispersed, including by auction in London. The palace then passed through various hands before being bequeathed to the city as a modern art museum in 1898. These days you arrive by land and come in through the internal courtyard. There is an entrance hall with ticket sales, temperature taking, and compulsory cloakroom for larger bags.

The fact that the palace does not have its own/original collection shows in the visitor experience today. The museum originally exhibited the municipal modern art collection. Ca’ Pesaro has long had a connection with the Venice Biennale as well, and with younger Italian artists outside of this artistic establishment. This makes for a great deal of interesting modern works on display. Several important donated or bequeathed collections have supplemented the acquisitions over the years. These are now displayed as more or less autonomous units with the gallery spaces.

A Good Modern Collection…

The overall effect is that of a delightful chaos. There is a sense of a series of historic events that have led to a jumble of different artists and styles ending up in the museum’s collection, but it all somehow works. There’s a great Klimt which features on most of the promotional material. There are some Schiele drawings, a number of Rodin sculptures, works by Manzù, Morandi, de Chirico and so on. It’s no longer as antagonistic towards the artistic establishment as it once was. Indeed, controversial artists such as Boccioni (whose first solo exhibition was held here) have entered the canon over time. But it does give a cross section of 20th Century Italian art: a cross-section which in my opinion is made more interesting by reflecting the tastes and interests of those whose important donations have helped to shape the collection.

…Brought Into the 21st Century With a Contemporary Flourish

Something that I liked at Ca’ Pesaro were the contemporary touches. They are obviously able to pivot quite easily, or otherwise used the time during lockdown wisely. Hot off the press photos of Venice in lockdown now interrupt their permanent collection: neighbours hanging out the window to get a look at protesters, deserted squares and tourist sites, and so on. It’s not even listed on their website as an exhibition so I can’t tell you who the photographer(s) is/are. Nonetheless I thought it was an inspired way to bring the visitor back into the moment.

I was aware what a privilege it was to be able to enjoy a few days in Venice in 2020. Once you’re in a museum, though, it’s easy to sink back into the flow of looking at lovely things and contemplating art, and forgetting that our current position is still very fragile. These images, of which there were maybe a dozen at most, brought me back to this reality. Even better, they did so while being very aesthetically pleasing to boot.

Homage to Umberto Moggioli

When I visited, the temporary exhibition Homage to Umberto Moggioli was also on view. Moggioli was a new discovery for me. He was mostly landscape painter who preferred the quiet parts of Venice away from the hustle and bustle of the city itself. He also had a wonderful way of capturing the beautiful Venetian light. Moggioli died in 1919, so with the hindsight of a century his works no longer seem so radical. The exhibition reflects the fact that a lot of them originally passed through Ca’ Pesaro as part of its avant garde focus. The paintings are very peaceful and transport you to the Venetian islands of another era. So with many now held in private collections it’s a good chance to get acquainted with his work.

They’re Hiding an Asian Art Museum in the Attic!

So after a while, you think you have Ca’ Pesaro pegged. Quite cool, modern, interesting art, accessible size and with some contemporary elements thrown in. That, however, is only half the story. A whole new museum awaits you up two flights of stairs (the intervening level is a space for larger temporary exhibitions, I think?). And this time it is a museum of Asian art (Museo d’Arte Orientale). It’s a real juxtaposition with the modern art museum downstairs. The art museum is open and light where the Asian art museum feels smaller and darker; the art museum is modern and forward-looking where the Asian art museum is quaintly old fashioned.

I don’t know if I missed an information panel somewhere but I didn’t really understand while I was at Ca’ Pesaro where this Asian art collection in the middle of Venice had come from. I don’t think it’s just me though. When I looked at the Ca’ Pesaro website while preparing this blog, all of the information about the history and collections is about the art side of things; and the Asian art museum is a casual mention. So I turned to Wikipedia and discovered that Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi, collected these objects at the end of the 19th Century, and later bequeathed them to the Italian state.

I guess it’s one of those situations where a collection is assigned to a museum that can take it on. If you recall, I saw a similar scenario with the Foundling Museum in London taking on a large Handel collection due to a tangential connection. And as it isn’t as firmly connected to the original mission and ethos of Ca’ Pesaro as a museum, it comes across both online and physically as a bit of an afterthought.

Japanese Craftsmanship in a Venetian Palazzo

It’s still interesting though. I like an old fashioned museum, and this one fits the bill. The collection is mostly Japanese and is things like swords and saddles and shields, vases and lacquerware. The groupings show off the variety of styles within one type of object. There is very little interpretation other than a video and a display case on lacquerwork techniques. I think a little more on the collection history might have been nice to help me contextualise things. I still enjoyed my experience as a visitor though. It feels a little out of place but at the same time quite tranquil and luxurious to be inspecting this historic Japanese collection in a Venetian palazzo.

So I would recommend Ca’ Pesaro fairly highly (and above all don’t forget the cafe!). If you are new to Venice and want to see all the highlights then the Gallerie dell’Accademia is for you. If you want something a little more obscure and with some artists you may not be familiar with (or if you really love Japanese swords), then head to Ca’ Pesaro. For me, it was a lovely final activity before I headed back to the airport. Thanks Venice for the memories!

On its own merits: 4/5
Homage to Umberto Moggioli: 3.5/5
Implementing Covid rules: 4.5/5

Homage to Umberto Moggioli until 8 December 2020