Ca' Pésaro

The Modern Art Gallery in Venice's Ca' Pesaro
The Modern Art Gallery in Venice's Ca' Pesaro.

Venice's Ca' Pésaro and two collections: Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna (Gallery of Modern Art) and Museo d'Arte Orientale (Asian Art Museum)

The Ca' Pesaro on venice's Grand Canal, designed in the late 17th century by Baldassare Longhena (completed in 1682 by Antionio Gaspari).
The Ca' Pesaro on Venice's Grand Canal, designed in the late 17th century by Baldassare Longhena and completed in 1682 by Antionio Gaspari. (Photo by David Nicholls)
Sometimes the effort of appreciating all that Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque art can just wear you down.

Yes, the ponderous Ca' Pésaro—squatting on the Grand Canal across and just up from the more elegant Ca' D'Oro, and designed in the middle of the 17th century by Baldassare Longhena (same guy who built the Ca' Rezzonico and Santa Maria della Salute church)—still provides a generous helping of late Renaissance/early baroque architecture.

However, the two modest museums it contains are a breath of fresh air, representing art that is hundreds of years (and/or thousands of miles) away from the same old-same old Old Masters.

Museum of Modern Art

White Zig Zag (Zig Zag Bianchi)</em> by Wassily Kadinsky (1922).
White Zig Zag (Zig Zag Bianchi) by Wassily Kadinsky (1922). (Photo courtesy of the Museo d'Arte Moderna di Venezia à Ca' Pesaro)
The main floor contains Venice's municipal Museo d'Arte Moderna—the spoils of hosting the Biennale, Venice's grand bi-yearly contemporary art show, from which the city has slowly purchased much of this collection over the years.

The result is a gallery of international masters such as Chagall, Matisse, Kadinsky, Klee, Klimt, Morandi, Henry Moore, and De Chirico.

Frankly, the collection at the Peggy Guggenheim in town is better (if you're going to see just one gallery of modern art, make it that one), but these works are fine, and if you already have a Museum Pass, you get in for free anyway.

The Museum of Asian Art

A room in the Ca' Pesaro's Gallery of Oriental Art.
A room in the Asian Art Museum of the Ca' Pesaro. (Photo by Russavia)
Upstairs is the Ca' Pésaro's second museum, this one devoted to the Museo d'Arte Orentale, a hodgepodge of Asian and artifacts (www.arteorientale.org)—armor, weapons, lacquered boxes, musical instruments, bronzes, etc.

It's heavy on the Japanese (look for Hokusai, Koryusai, and Harunobu), but there's also some stuff from China, Siam (ancient Thailand), and Java (Indonesia). Be on the lookout for a precious Khmer Buddha from 12th century Cambodia.

The collection is all the more remarkable for being formerly the private stash of Prince Henry of Bourbon Parma, who brought it back from the Orient toward the end of the 19th century and left it to Italy in his will.

(Note: There have been long-term plans to move the Asian art collection to the Palazzo Marcello, across the Grand Canal, but just when that might happen is anybody's guess. They've been talking about it for years.)

Tips & links

Details & tours

Ca' Pésaro
Fondamenta della Pergola 2076, Santa Croce
Vaporetto: San Stae (turn left in front of the church, cross the bridge, turn right, then take your first left, cross another bridge and you're there)
tel. +39-041-721-127
www.visitmuve.it
Open Tues-Sun 10am–5pm (to 5pm Nov–Mar)
Adm

With Museum Pass: free

How long does the Ca Pesaro take?

Planning your day: Unless you're seriously into modern and/or Oriental art, you can probably knock off both museums in 30–45 minutes or so.Venice itineraries

Museum Pass

The Ca' Pesaro is included on the Museum Pass cumulative ticket.

Don't book ahead

While advance reservations are possible for this museum, they really aren't necessary (the tourists crowds flock to St. Mark's and the Accademia not here), so save yourself the booking fee.

Nearby sights, dining, hotels

Sights nearby
★★★ Grand Canal (sight)
★★ Ca d'Oro (museum) ª
Rialto (sight)

Where to eat nearby
Pizzeria Ae Oche (meal)
★★ Cantina Do Spade (meal/snack)
Vini da Pinto (meal)
★★★ Cantina Do Mori (snack)

Hotels nearby
RR Hotel San Cassiano Ca 'Favretto (premier)
RR Albergo Pensione Guerrato (cheap)
RR Hotel Bernardi Semenzato (cheap) ª

ª - Via a traghetto across the Grand Canal

» More hotels in S. Croce from Venere.com
» More hotels in S. Croce from Booking.com

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Details
Ca' Pésaro
Fondamenta della Pergola 2076, Santa Croce
Vaporetto: San Stae (turn left in front of the church, cross the bridge, turn right, then take your first left, cross another bridge and you're there)
tel. +39-041-721-127
www.visitmuve.it
Open Tues-Sun 10am–5pm (to 5pm Nov–Mar)
Adm

With Museum Pass: free
Nearby
Sights nearby
★★★ Grand Canal (sight)
★★ Ca d'Oro (museum) ª
Rialto (sight)

Where to eat nearby
Pizzeria Ae Oche (meal)
★★ Cantina Do Spade (meal/snack)
Vini da Pinto (meal)
★★★ Cantina Do Mori (snack)

Hotels nearby
RR Hotel San Cassiano Ca 'Favretto (premier)
RR Albergo Pensione Guerrato (cheap)
RR Hotel Bernardi Semenzato (cheap) ª

ª - Via a traghetto across the Grand Canal

» More hotels in S. Croce from Venere.com
» More hotels in S. Croce from Booking.com


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