Canaletto & Bellotto

Explore Venice, London, and Vienna through the eyes of Canaletto and Bellotto, two of the eighteenth century’s most celebrated city painters. Discover how these Venetian masters created views that are scientifically precise and yet also dramatic compositions – works crafted to captivate an international audience. The famous city views of Giovanni Antonio Canal (better known as Canaletto) and his nephew Bernardo Bellotto (who often called himself Canaletto as well, to emphasize his connection to his celebrated uncle) take centre stage in the upcoming exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. With the help of optical devices, such as the camera obscura, these two Venetian painters surveyed European cities with scientific precision, yet creatively transformed what they saw into grand pictorial scenes. Both artists painted spectacular views of their hometown, Venice, but they both left the lagoon city to pursue their careers abroad: Canaletto moved to London, while Bellotto worked in Dresden and Vienna. Featuring major international loans – many of which have never before been exhibited in Austria – the exhibition invites you to rediscover the eighteenth-century city and two artists