Ancient Rome in 3D is on Google Earth, there is the Virtual Museum of the Ancient via Flaminia, and soon we will have more Italian art exhibitions on Second Life. The first Italian project on Second Life was Experience Italy, and now phase 2.0 of the “Michelangelo architetto a Roma” exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome is currently being built.

The exhibition itself is open until February 7th 2010, but thanks to the multimedia platform of Musei in Comune 2.0 we will soon see Michelangelo’s drawings in a three dimensional space, and with avatars dressed in renaissance costumes designed by Ardigraf Design. For more details, see the the Michelangelo in Second Life page (in English here).

Continue reading: Michelangelo on Second Life in "Musei in Comune 2.0"

Leonardo da Vinci’s world famous Vitruvian Man is appearing in Venice for a short exhibition for the first time in seven years of not being on display to the public. The Gallerie dell’Accademia will host the precious drawing, which shows perfect human proportions and cosmic harmony, will be on display until January 10th.

The image is inscribed on Italy’s one euro coin, and the drawing itself was created by Leonardo sometime around 1490, based on the theories of Roman architect Vitruvius, from Book III of his treatise De Architectura. The Vitruvian Man drawing measures 34.5 by 24.6 cm and will act as an introduction to the newly renovated museum. The Gallerie dell’Accademia hosts more than just this Leonardo da Vinci drawing, and on completion of the restorations, all 25 Leonardo drawings in possession will be exhibited.

Source | Artsblog.it

Continue reading: Leonardo's Vitruvian Man on display in Venice

From October onwards, during every third weekend of the month, the contemporary art museum at the Rivoli castle in Turin will open its doors to families as part of an important initiative aiming to bring art to children and their parents. During the month of October, visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy an interesting exhibition devoted to Gianni Colombo, and many will be thrilled to find the chief attraction of the museum which will be the much awaited Elastic Space (be prepared to be surprised once there!). The second part of the visit will take place in a workshop where children and adults alike will engage in the setting up of a show in which the body will take centre stage and be turned, thanks to a set of tactile special effects, into a series of monochromatic / polychromatic pages which the amazed participants will be able to feel and touch. We anticipate that this exciting event is going to be very popular so visits should be booked in advance. This should be done by contacting the Department of Education - calling the following phone number:

Continue reading: Art exhibitions in Italy: Weekend art at Rivoli castle in Turin

The best of Venetian craftmanship is on display for an exhibition showing the wood and gold work of Venice’s artisans. The “Venezia artigiana” exhibition takes place from November 12 to December 8 at San Stae, and is organised by the foundation for the protection of gondola art.

Venice is not just famous for its Murano glass masterpieces, and this exhibition shows Venetian workmanship in woodcarving and goldsmithing from the medieval period to today. The works will also be presented by the artisans themselves, in attendance from some of Venice’s best workshops, completing demonstrations with the tools of their trade.

Continue reading: Venice's gold and gondolas: Italian wood and Venetian craft exhibition

The city of Milan is hosting an extraordinary art exhibition called The Codice Atlantico or Atlantic Code and entirely devoted to one of the greatest geniuses of all time: Leonardo da Vinci. The famous Atlantic Code which is the largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci ‘s manuscripts is made up of 1,750 drawings and 12 volumes which the artist wrote during his life. Now this amazing body of work is on display at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana for the first time. Actually the exhibition has been divided into several segments; the first of which is called Fortezze, bastioni e cannoni. Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to see the famous Aula Leonardi, the beautiful Sala Fredericiana and the 17th century Peristilio which displays, along with other Leonardo da Vinci’s works, an amazing portrait of the artist by one of his pupils. But if you want to see more segments of this exhibition, be prepared to take a walk to the beautiful Bramante Sacristy ( Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie), one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance period. The place and the works on display there, trust me, are worth the walk!

Opening hours: 9:00 to 19:00 from Tuesday to Sunday; ticket prices vary from 10 to 20 euros.

Photo | Mamjodh.

Continue reading: Leonardo da Vinci's Atlantic Code on display in Milan

A new art exhibition in Padua is opening, putting on display the artworks owned by the Banca Antonveneta, as part of the bank’s private collection acquired over years of purchases. The exhibition runs from September 12th to November 4th.

The artworks are based on a homage to the city of Padua, with a mix of subjects including landscape paintings, potraits, depictions of famous people and cityscapes. The exhibition includes works from Flemish painters such as Pauwels Franck and Adriaen van Utrech. For more details on the exhibition, see the Banca Antonveneta site.

Continue reading: Art exhibition in Padua: the Venetian city by Flemish artists

After two year restoration, Mantegna’s masterpiece “Saint Zeno” will be back on display at the Church of San Zeno in Verona. The famous altarpiece will be unveiled on 21 May, the feast day of the city’s patron Saint Zeno. Actually the work consists of six panels, though people tend to remember only the three major panels which form the altarpiece. Unfortunately only the first four panels will be on display in Verona; the two missing pieces ( i.e. The Crucifixion and the Agony in The Garden) which were taken by Napoleon to Paris more than two centuries ago are still in France; the first on display at the Louvre and the other on show in the city of Tour

Continue reading: Mantegna's masterpiece " San Zeno" back on display in Verona

Giorgio Zorzi from Castelfranco Veneto, also known as Giorgione was one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance; along with Titian, he belonged to the famous Venetian School, but the big news is that the house in which he lived and worked for several years will soon be turned into a real museum where people will have the rare opportunity to admire two of his six surviving works: the famous Castelfranco Altarpiece and a small freeze symbolising the mechanical and liberal arts.

Official opening: 9 May

Continue reading: Giorgione house turned into museum

Milan is hosting a rather interesting art exhibition called Michelangelo, la pietà Rondanini e il Crocefisso ritrovato and devoted to the great marble sculpture that the artist created between 1550 and 1564. So if you are an art buff you can’t afford to miss out on it.

The sculpture which has just been beautifully restored will be on display at the famous Castello Sforzesco along with another wooden crucifix that Michelangelo made in his youth.

Continue reading: Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà restored and on display in Milan

It’s the first great exhibition devoted to Beato Angelico: The Dawn of The Ranaissance since 1955 (two major exhibitions dedicated to this great Tuscan artist which took place in Florence and the Vatican in the 1950s). This time visitors will have the rare opportunity to get a closer look at works now beautifully restored and that are on display at the Capitoline Museums in Rome for the first time.

The exhibition aims to shed a stronger light on the different aspects of this extraordinary artist who was drawer, painter and miniaturist; this art show charts his career from the early years - with a hint of Gothic style - to the long period he lived in Rome when his works were far more monumental. Here a list of some of the works you will be able to see (the exhibition will run until 11 July): The Tebaid, Our Lady of The Cedars , the famous Cortona triptych, The Annunciation, Paradiso or Paradise and more.
And if you are an art buff, don’t miss out on two other important exhibitions; one dedicated to Giotto (Rome) and the other to Raffaello in Urbino, his hometown!

Source | Corriere.it

Beato Angelico. L’alba del Rinascimento - Beato Angelico. L’alba del Rinascimento - Roma

Continue reading: Capitoline Museums in Rome host Beato Angelico exhibition

If you want to see an extremely unique piece of Italian art and religious icons, from April 19 to June 29, the Carolingian Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura (or St Paul’s outside the Walls) will be on display in an exhibition open to the public.

The incredible miniature bible was commissioned in the 9th century by sovreign Carlo il Calvo and donated to Pope John the 8th, most likely on Christmas night in 875.

The bible was then given to the Benedictine monks, where it has remained since. The Carolingian bible of St Paul’s Outside the Walls is renowned for its unique beauty and is being displayed to the public for the first time in history. The exhibition is in honour of the current year of St Paul.

The bible will be on display, with the 36 pages in an additional display via monitor where it is possible to see the bible that was used for the swearing of faith of all rulers to popes throughout the Medieval period. The exhibition is free and is open until June 29, the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul.

Continue reading: World's most beautiful bible: Carolingian bible from St Paul's Outside the Walls on display

A free Italian photography exhibition is being held at Rome’s Museo Centrale del Risorgimento. The photos are of Italian family life, including weddings, holidays, birthdays and snapshots of the identity of families from Lazio. The exhibition is called “Famiglia: fotografie e filmini di famiglia nella regione Lazio” or “Family: photos and film of family life from Lazio”.

The exhibition runs until May 10 and marks the end of a project that sees a collection of photos from family albums, produced by the people themselves and donated to the project. Over the course of three years, 10,000 family photos and 100 films have been collected, which you can view on fotofamilia.it.

Similar to last year’s exhibition of 19th and 20th century photography in Modena, the photography gives a fascinating insight into just how much Italian society and family has changed. The exhibition is designed to encourage studies of identity, territory and family. If you love retro art and photography, take a look at the catalogue by Gangemi Editore which explores the human life expressed in photography.

Continue reading: Italian family life: the dolce vita explored in photography exhibition in Rome