I've been in Venice for most of the last week, attending and participating in the Renaissance Society of America's (RSA) annual conference. Venice is a fantastic venue for a conference, but it does present certain organizational problems. The hub of the conference was in the Dorsoduro district, and my hotel was up in Cannaregio ward which gave me plenty of opportunity to walk across Venice, which you can do in 20-30 minutes if you know the layout of the streets. Of course, you can opt for the vaporetto, but the fares are ruinous. Here are some photos of Ca' Foscari, Venice University, whose many outposts served as venues for the conference programme. Try session hopping between these!
Though the conference was a great success, I felt slightly let down on the art front. I was disappointed to find that the Accademia had not escaped the ephemeral museum effect: one of their stellar paintings, Giorgione's 'Tempest' was not on display, nor a slew of other paintings.
The Giorgione was being readied for a forthcoming exhibition, and the scaffolding, boards and crane near the building told their own story about refurbishment at the museum.
If rumours I heard have any substance, the Accademia is going to need this extra space. On a visit to a local church which I won't name- I learnt from the very friendly and informative guide that this church - and others- is going to be amalgamated into other parishes/dioceses, leading to financial difficulties and the possible off-loading of paintings to the Accademia. Perhaps this is an unsurprising development- the line between museums and churches is very fine in Venice. I purchased a card allowing access to 12 churches, but was told at several churches I visited that said card was invalid because the building was not a church but a museum. When I protested that sticking a poster of Leonardo da Vinci on a church door to advertise a temporary exhibition, did not make the church a museum, I was met with a stony stare and no attempt to justify this Venetian scam.
More on Venetian churches and art in another post....
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