The Rialto Bridge with the Festive Entry of the Patriarch Antonio Correr (detail), 1735, Michele Marieschi. Oil on canvas. Osterley Park, The Palmer-Morewood Collection, National Trust (accepted in lieu of tax and transferred to the National Trust by Her Majesty's Government in 1984). Photo: National Trust Photo Library / Art Resource, NY
Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe
GETTY CENTER
The Getty Center
From Paris to Madrid and Vienna to London, from the Doge's Palace to St. Peter’s Square, Europe’s most iconic cities and monuments have played host to magnificent ceremonies. During the golden age of view painting in the eighteenth century, princes, popes, and ambassadors commissioned artists such as Canaletto and Panini to record memorable moments ranging from the Venetian carnival to an eruption of Vesuvius. This first-ever exhibition focusing on views of historic events includes over fifty works, many never seen before in America. Turning the beholder into an eyewitness on the scene, these paintings bring the spectacle and drama of the past to life.
