The Accademia Gallery | Over a long period of history, it has been a privilege of the upper classes to acquire the immortal testimonies of creative art. Wealth and the desire to be surrounded by paintings also accompanied the splendor of the city of the Doge’s, and the works of old masters hung on the walls of the Venetian palazzos.
Venice, the city on stilts, is today in the fortunate position of being able to offer visitors from all over the world a journey through its eventful history at the Galleria dell’Accademia. This is the largest collection of Venetian paintings in the world, and those who go from painting to painting can go from Gothic to Rococo.
The Accademia Gallery Opening times
Here are the opening times of the Accademia for planning your sightseeing tour through Venice.
| Accademia | Opening times | Last admission |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9.00 a.m. - 2.00 p. m. | 1.00 p.m. |
| Tuesday to Sunday | 9.00 a.m. - 7.15 p. m. | 6.15 p.m. |
Access to the Accademia is, therefore, possible all year round with the exception of 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December, when the doors remain locked.
A reflection of the history of the city of Venice
Like almost everything worth seeing in Venice, the Accademia is a reflection of the history of this city. The gallery owes its name to the legendary Art Academy di Belle Arti di Venezia, founded in 1750 by the painter Giovanni Battista Piazzetta.
Piazzetta, the offspring of a woodcarver, shaped the style of the so-called Venetian ‘Settecento’, which had a major influence on 18th-century art in Italy. The buildings of the historic church of Santa Maria Della Caritá, built by Roman Lateran canons, served as the site of the Accademia. In 1807, Napoleon declared areas of the art gallery a state property.
The buildings of the Accademia
The extensive collection of the Accademia in Venice can be admired in three buildings on the southern bank of the Canale Grande. One of these buildings once housed the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria Della Carità. This ‘school of charity‘ is considered to be the oldest brotherhood in the city and its roots date back to 1260.
The other two buildings in the gallery are the Canonici Lateranensi Monastery, a masterpiece by the brilliant architect Andrea Palladio, and the Church of Santa Maria della Carità, formerly part of the school of the same name. At the end of the Second World War, Carlo Scarpa, who also contributed to the Biennale, redesigned some of the rooms.
Visit the Academy Galleries
As early as 1882, the Accademia di Venice was granted the status of an independent museum, giving its directors the opportunity to purchase masterpieces of 14th-century Byzantine art and 18th-century Venetian art all over the world.
One of the most impressive exhibits is undoubtedly Titian’s painting ‘The Thunderstorm‘, which is attributed to the early 16th century. Paolo Veronese’s ‘The Guest Meal in the House of Levi‘ once hung in the refectory of Santi Giovanni e Paolo before it was kidnapped by Napoleon’s troops in Paris in 1797. 18 years later it returned to Venice. Jacopo Tintoretto’s ‘Salvage of the Body of Mark‘ is part of a Mark cycle.
According to legend, the remains of the evangelist were brought to Venice in 1828 and later fell victim to a fire in St Mark’s Church. The Accademia’s unique collection includes works by Bassano, Giovanni and Gentile Bellini, Canaletto, Carpaccio, Carriera, da Conegliano, Crivelli, Giorgione, Maffei, Lotto, da Cortona, Ricci, Tiepolo, Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese and Zuccarelli.
Admission fees to the dell’Accademia Galleries
Venice is always crowded. There can be waiting times everywhere, so it is best to book tickets in advance so that you can skip the queue.
| Gallerie dell’Accademia | Price* | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Adults 26+ | 23,00 € | Buy online ticket |
| Youths | free |
*The supplier’s current offer must always be respected.
For those interested in art and culture there is also the possibility of booking a guided tour in English. More about this in the further course of the text.
Otherwise, an audio guide, also in English, will be available at a price of 6.00 € for particularly interested visitors on site.
Leonardo da Vinci
A special highlight of the visit to this extraordinary museum in Venice is the world-famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. The most important artist of the Renaissance, a restless universal genius, created the so-called ‘Vitruvian Man‘, who at that time was not only important from an artistic point of view but also for science. The human being is represented by circles and squares as well as geometric figures and was linked to the early insights of the Greek philosopher and writer Plato.
Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drawing is one of the exhibits on display that established the international reputation of the Accademia. The work belonged to Cardinal Cesare Monti of Milan until 1784. Giuseppe Bossi, a gifted copyist and patron of the arts, finally acquired the newspaper of the Vitruvian Man before the Austrian government bought the entire legacy and later left it to the Accademia in Venice.
A remarkable overall impression
The collection of masterpieces from the Venetian and Venetian schools on the Ponte dell’Accademia, which spans the Grand Canal, is a must for visitors interested in the arts at every visit to Venice. Numerous works in the gallery’s 24 exhibition halls have their origins in the lagoon city of Venice or in the surrounding area.
In the early 18th century, the region saw itself as a flourishing landscape of art in which almost without exception the painters were members of a craft society. Those who are able to read and interpret the magnificent paintings of the Accademia will undoubtedly approach the soul of this city built on stilts. The language of these pictures fascinates every viewer – and for this reason alone, a visit to the Accademia is recommended.
Guided tours for the Galleries dell’Accademia
If you want to know everything about the Accademia Gallery, you can join a guided tour. The offer is only available in English.
| Accademia + Guided tours | Price* | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Walking Tour with private guide | 218,00 € | Book online |
*The duration of the visit is about two hours.
The collection is above all thanks to patrons who wanted to part with the works of old masters in the estates of deceased persons or who made a name for themselves as donors to the gallery. Many of the now almost a thousand paintings also came from churches and monasteries to the Adriatic during the secularization of the Napoleonic era.
Location and Directions to the Accademia Gallery
Everything that lies directly on the Canal Grande, the main artery of Venice, is easy to find.
The official address is: Le Gallerie dell’Accademia, Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050, 30123 Venezia
The gallery is located directly on the bridge – Ponte dell’Accademia – about a 20-minute walk from Santa Lucia railway station or Piazzale Roma.
Those who want to enjoy the journey over the Canal Grande, no matter if from the station or from the Lido, take the Vaporetto line 1 or 2. Get off at the ferry terminal ‘Accademia SX‘.
Practical hints
Inside the museum, there is an elevator to get to the first floor. This means that people with reduced mobility can also comfortably experience the exhibition. All of the museum’s facilities are equipped for the disabled.
Bulky items and luggage must be left in the cloakroom for safekeeping. A safe is also available for valuables.
At the entrance of the museum, there is an interesting bookshop with a lot of specialist literature on Venetian art. The opening times are the same as those of the museum.
Monuments close to the Galleries dell’Accademia
The famous art museum Ca’ Rezzonico is only a few minutes away from the train station. But those who walk to the end of the Canal Grande do not have far to go to the art collection of the trendy Peggy Guggenheim Collection that is worth seeing and then to the impressive basilica Santa Maria Della Salute.
Those interested in art and culture who wish to visit as much as possible should book tickets in advance at Ca’ Rezzonico and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection to avoid waiting times.
