Venice - Peggy Guggenheim Collection - Maria Helena Viera da Silva - Anatomy of Space - Exhibition

“I think I’ve lived my entire life in labyrinths. It’s my way of seeing the world.”

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva

 Peggy Guggenheim Collection 

Maria Helena Viera da Silva - Anatomy of Space

At the Peggy Guggenheim Collection - Maria Helena Vieira da Silva: Anatomy of Space -  until September 15 - is a major solo exhibition dedicated to one of the most original artists of the 20th century - curated by -  Flavia Frigeri of the National Portrait Gallery - London.  Featuring about seventy works from top international museums and cultural institutions - including the Centre Pompidou, MoMA, Tate Modern - and others - the exhibition traces the evolution of Vieira da Silva’s unique visual language. It explores the relationship between abstraction and figuration in her work from the 1930s to the late 1980s, with a focus on her fascination with architectural space. The exhibition repositions her art away from its usual association with Art Informel, emphasizing her influences in Paris and Brazil, and her connections to both Peggy Guggenheim and Solomon R. Guggenheim.

The Card Game - Le Jeu de cartes - detail - 1937

Self-Portrait - 1930 + Portrait of Arpad - 1931

© Willy Maywald, Courtesy Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris-Lisbon - courtesy Peggy Guggenheim Collection

“When you love and you’re a painter the model you love becomes more beautiful every day,”  

Arpad Szenes 

Born in Lisbon, Vieira da Silva - 1908 -1992 - trained in Lisbon and Paris. Her work merges tradition with modernity, often portraying labyrinthine spaces, chromatic rhythms, and fragmented perspectives. Pieces like The Tiled Room - 1935 - and Ballet Figure - 1948 - reveal her interest in dissolving the line between figure and background. She approached art as an extension of herself, with the studio becoming both her workspace and subject.  The exhibition begins with her symbiotic relationship with husband and fellow artist Arpad Szenes, followed by early works from the 1930s exploring skeletal architectural forms. 

 

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva and Arpad Szenes in their studio -  Paris - 1937

Works like Composition - 1936 - above -  and - Dance - 1938 - introduce themes of movement and strategy, echoed in her wartime pieces created during exile in Brazil. These include The Disaster - 1942 - and  - The Drowned  - 1938 -  reflecting the emotional toll of World War II.

 Composition - January 1936 + Composition - 1936

The Arena - 1950 + detail

Curator - Flavia Frigeri  and Karole Vail - director - Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Post-war, Vieira da Silva developed a more abstract style marked by complex, labyrinth-like structures and urban landscapes, as seen in Paris - the Night - 1951 - and Venetian Celebration - 1949 - above. Later works focus on public architecture and the interplay of internal and external space. 

Venetian Celebration - 1949

Checkmate - detail -  1949-50

The Sleep - 1969

© Willy Maywald, Courtesy Jeanne Bucher Jaeger, Paris-Lisbon - courtesy peggy guggenheim Collection 

"We paint at the same times, but each in our own studio. We go in together, we leave together. We lead the life of bank employees, at least in terms of regular working hours.”

Arpad Szenes 

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva in her studio -Paris - 1948

The final sections present her darker-toned paintings from the 1960s and the luminous White Compositions - above - underscoring the symbolic and expressive role of white in her oeuvre. The final room offers a mini-retrospective of Vieira da Silva’s career, united by the color white. Known for her mastery of vivid tones, Vieira da Silva saw white as timeless—expressing emotions beyond any season. In her later years, she embraced white almost exclusively, giving her work a deep, spiritual dimension.

Exhibition View  + Equity - 1966

 Press Breakfast

Peggy Guggenheim Collection - Terrace

 

 

 

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Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia - Corpi Moderni - The Making of the Body in Renaissance Venice. Leonardo - Michelangelo - Dürer - Giorgione

Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia  

Corpi Moderni  

The Making of the Body in Renaissance Venice 

At the Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia  the major exhibition Corpi moderni. The Making of the Body in Renaissance Venice. Leonardo - Michelangelo - Dürer - Giorgione - Leonardo - Michelangelo - Dürer -  Giorgione - until July 27 - is curated by Giulio Manieri Elia, Guido Beltramini, and Francesca Borgo.  The exhibition offers a fascinating exploration of the conception of the human body that emerged in Renaissance Venice, spanning art, science, and material culture. Corpi Moderni delves into how, for the first time, the body was conceived as a field of scientific investigation, an object of desire, and a means of self-expression. The Renaissance marks a turning point where the body is no longer merely a biological entity but a cultural construct, shaped by science, art, and social conventions.  On this occasion, Leonardo's famous Vitruvian Man - above -  one of the iconic treasures of the Gallerie dell'Accademia and an international symbol of global cultural heritage, is on public display again after six years. For the first time, it is presented alongside an ancient Greek metrological relief, sparking a reflection on the concepts of  - measure - and - ideal - rooted in antiquity.

Metrological Relief - 460-440 - BCE

Leonardo da Vinci - Vitruvian Man - Proportional Study of the Male Body   1490-1497

The exhibition brings together extraordinary works of art, some presented in Italy for the first time, including drawings, paintings, and sculptures from the most prestigious international and national museums and collections. Masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, Giorgione, and Giovanni Bellini are featured alongside scientific instruments, anatomical models, books, garments, miniatures, and everyday objects.

Michelangelo Buonarroti - Studies for the Libyan Sibyl - 1510–11c.

Curators - Guido Beltramini, Giulio Manieri Elia and Francesca Borgo

The exhibition is divided into three major sections. The first - Il corpo svelato: conoscere - delves into the discovery of the human body as an object of scientific and medical study, with Padua and Venice serving as two key European centers of this exploration.

Leonardo da Vinci - The Great Lady

The Cardiovascular System and Organs of a Woman's Torso -  1509-1510

Albrecht Dürer - Proportional Study of the Artist's Left Hand - 1511-1513

The second section - Il corpo nudo: desiderare - examines the representation of the body as an object of gaze and desire. On one side, the female nude, depicted in the iconic Renaissance invention of the reclining Venus, gracefully posed within a landscape—a motif that continues to influence art to this day. On the other, the lyrical, suffering, and sublime male body of saints and biblical heroes, portrayed in the style of classical antiquity.

Girolamo da Treviso -  Sleeping Venus -  1515c.

Curator - Guido Beltramini

Tiziano - Venus and Adonis - 1530-1555c.

The desire of the body ensuring lineage and future is depicted through domestic objects such as cassoni (wedding chests), childbirth trays, and exquisite portraits of young brides who, by subtly concealing one breast, evoke a controlled sense of eroticism —a common iconographic tradition in the Venetian region. In this context, Titian’s enigmatic painting The Lovers center stage. The man’s gesture of caressing his lover’s exposed breast has only recently been interpreted as a symbolic act affirming the marital bond. 

Tiziano - Betrothed Couple with Witness - detail - 1510c.

Curator - Francesca Borgo

The third and final section - Il corpo costruito: rappresentarsi - examines the body as a cultural space of representation. Clothing, surgical treatises, cosmetic tools, and personal care accessories reveal the Renaissance man and woman’s drive to conform to social standards and models, reflected in their portrayal through a specific inventory of symbols and adornments defining masculinity and femininity.  The exhibition also investigates the concept of transcending the body itself, displaying armor and mechanical prosthetics used for the first time during the Renaissance to replace limbs lost in war and reinforcing the body’s role as a place of experimentation, metamorphosis, and transformation. 

 

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Venice - Le Stanze Del Vetro - 1932-1942 Murano Glass and The Venice Biennale - Exhibition - Party Photos

 

"This was a period of great creativity and experimentation with materials and colours, both through the revisiting of ancient techniques and the development of new glassmaking processes".

 

Le Stanze Del Vetro  

1932-1942 Murano Glass and The Venice Biennale 

Exhibition - Party Photos

At Le Stanze Del Vetro on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore the exhibition 1932–1942 Murano Glass and the Venice Biennale - curated by Marino Barovier - until - 23 November -  is the second chapter in the series on Murano glass at the Venice Biennale. It explores the decade from 1932 to 1942, spanning the 18th to the 23rd editions—from the opening of the Venice Pavilion to the final pre-war Biennale.

Ferro Tosso-Barovier - Ercole Barovier - 1938

Since 1932, Murano glass was featured at the Biennale in a dedicated space, the Venice Pavilion - above - built specifically for the decorative arts on the initiative of the - Istituto Veneto per il Lavoro. The value and quality of the so-called minor arts were thus officially recognized, and a selection of them were chosen to be presented to the general public at the Venice Art Biennale. Thanks to the recurrent staging of this prestigious event, such exhibits had a profound effect on Murano, which over the course of successive editions took the opportunity to present its best glass works, making the most of the impetus provided by the Biennale. The Venice Biennale not only served as an outstanding showcase, but through its artistic vibrancy and international reach it provided fruitful exposure to glassworks and the world of artistic glass in all its complexity.

Curator - Marino Barovier

Salviati & C. - Guido Bin - Mario De Luigi - 1936

Salviati & C. played a key role at the Venice Biennale - 18th–20th editions - showcasing innovative glassworks. Of particular note were the vetri musivi by Guido Bin - Mario De Luigi - in 1936 - bold mosaic-inspired pieces that reflected his deep interest in glass and collaboration with Carlo Scarpa. Salviati’s displays consistently highlighted artistic experimentation, blending classical forms with modern expression.

Giorgio Vigna, Marina Barovier, Sabrina Damassa Vigna 

Giorgio Spanu and Nancy Olnick 

Pier Luigi Pizzi

Venini S.A. - Tomaso Buzzi - 1932

Venini S.A. - Tomaso Buzzi - The Hand of Atlas - 1932

At the 1932 Venice Biennale, Venini S.A. presented La Mano di Atlante, a striking mosaic panel by Tommaso Buzzi, marking his brief but impactful collaboration with the firm. Buzzi also introduced the Turchese e nero series - above - elegant, layered glass pieces inspired by ancient Persian forms—showcasing Venini’s refined color and form experimentation.

Zecchin Martinuzzi - Napoleone Martinuzzi - 1933

At the Venice Biennale, Zecchin-Martinuzzi showcased groundbreaking cased glass works that highlighted their technical mastery and artistic vision.  Founded in 1932 by Vittorio Zecchin and Napoleone Martinuzzi, the firm quickly gained recognition for its thick-walled, color-layered glass pieces.  Their Biennale displays featured elegant forms - vases, bowls, and sculptural objects - celebrated for their rich tonal contrasts and classical inspirations.  Martinuzzi’s innovative use of cased glass set a new standard in Venetian glassmaking.  The duo’s work bridged tradition and modernity, merging ancient influences with bold, contemporary forms

Francesco Dal Co, Luca De Michelis, Karole Vail and Andrew Huston

photo Enrico Fiorese - courtesy le Stanze del Vetro

Zecchin Martinuzzi - Napoleone Martinuzzi  

Corallo pasta vitrea vases -1933

In 1932, Zecchin and Martinuzzi founded their own glassworks, Zecchin Martinuzzi – Vetri Artistici e Mosaici.  Martinuzzi focused on cased glass and colorful pasta vitrea.  The firm also debuted successfully at the 5th Milan Triennale in 1933, showcasing vibrant figurines in pasta vitrea.

Daniela Ferretti

Marco Arosio

Zecchin Martinuzzi - Napoleone Martinuzzi - 1934-36

Bruno Amadi

Rosa Barovier Mentasti

Susanne Thun Hohenstein

V.A.M.S.A. - Luigi Scarpa Croce - 1942 - V.A.M.S.A. - Luigi Scarpa Croce - 1942

V.A.M.S.A. - 1938-40 + V.A.M.S.A. - 1940

Between 1938 and 1942 - V.A.M.S.A. -  under Alfredo Barbini’s skill and the artistic direction of Erme Ripa and Luigi Scarpa Croce, the glassworks produced bold, heavy pieces.  Highlights included sommerso plates with animal motifs -fumato glass animals - and hot-modeled figures adorning thick bowls shown at the Venice Biennale in 1942.

Kimiko Yoshida 

Giordana Naccari and Giuseppe Baldissera

Seguso Vetri D'Arte - Flavio Poli - 1937ca. - 1938 - 1940-41

In 1937 Seguso Vetri d’Arte, with Flavio Poli as partner and artistic director - showcased - at the the Venice Biennale - bullicante vases - with fine air bubbles a technique devised by Archimede Seguso - heavy glass animals, and thick forms in verde nord and verde acqua di mare, some with corroded finishes and soft, sculptural lines.

Herwig Egon and Elena Casadoro-Kopp with Oskar

Antonio and Anna Dei Rossi

Aureliano Toso - Dino Martens - 1940 + 1940ca.

From 1940, Dino Martens became artistic director at Aureliano Toso, leading the 22nd Venice Biennale display.  The showcase featured heavy cristallo glass with spiral ribbing and soft color accents, alongside zanfirico cane pieces in similarly delicate tones.

photo Enrico Fiorese - courtesy le Stanze del Vetro - Installation View

Installation View - detail

Ferro Toso-Barovier

The  Ferro Toso-Barovier glassworks debuted at the 1936 Venice Biennale under the artistic direction of Ercole Barovier. At this exhibition, they showcased large, innovative glass pieces using colorazione a caldo senza fusione - a technique Barovier developed and patented. Notable works included the Crepuscolo series, made with brownish-grey glass and metal filaments, and Gemmati, which featured glass with metallic oxides and powders in variations like Autunno - yellow-brown -Laguna, and Marina - blue-grey. This led to the creation of new types such as Zaffiro and Arabesco Verde. The Rostrati series, with its raised glass prisms, became particularly commercially successful.

Alessandra and Alessandro Zoppi

Venini S.A. - Carlo Scarpa - 1942

At the 1942 Venice Biennale, the Venini display primarily featured blown-glass pieces decorated with threads, horizontal bands, or irregular polychrome patterns - pennellate - standing out from the transparent surface. It also included transparent bowls with deliberately irregular forms featuring abstract black and blue - zaffiro - black motifs influenced by Bauhaus art. 

Marino Barovier and David Landau

Salviati & C. - Dino Martens - 1932 + 1932ca.

At the  1932 Venice Biennale, the Salviati display featured a selection of transparent glass pieces – vases, ‘amphorae’, pitchers, and oil jugs – designed by Dino Martens - whose classical forms had been reinterpreted with a playful touch.

Maria Grazia Rosin and Thierry Morel

Isola di San Giorgio – Monumental Complex

Fondazione Giorgio Cini

Palladian courtyard of the ex Benedictine Monastery

Lunch was served al fresco in one of the two Palladian courtyards

Renata Codello

Issac Joseph and Chiarastella Cattana

Giovanni Rubin de Cervin Albrizzi

Kit Garis, Camilla Purdon and Leif-Erik Hannikainen

Verdiana Durand de la Penne

Justine and Hugues Le Gallais

Cristina Beltrami, Roberto De Feo and Luisa Mensi

Nicolo Castellini Baldissera and Kit Garis

Alessandro Tusset and Rosa Borgia

Stefano Salis, Giorgio Mastinu and Ryoko Sekiguchi

Cristina Beltrami and Giorgia Pea

The View

from

Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore

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