A majestic neoclassical building has been housing the Accademia Carrara gallery since 1810, which was established in 1794 by the Count Giacomo Carrara.
Masterpieces painted by many renowned artists are displayed in this picture gallery, such as Moroni, Pisanello, Lotto, Botticelli, Titian, Palma the Elder, Canaletto, Hayez, Piccio, Baschenis. The original artistic heritage consisted in the huge and precious collection of the Count Carrara.
As time passed by, many other works were added, including some amazing masterpieces: for instance, Mantegna’s Madonna and Child, a painting where the artist displays all his ability in recreating the smallest details; not to mention Pellizza da Volpedo’s Portrait of Santina Negri, where the artist manages to convey all the pain and suffering of a young woman, or even Raphael Sanzio’s marvellous Saint Sebastian surrounded by light.
When it was established, it hosted both the museum and the art school in the same building: the latter became a legally recognized Academy of Fine Arts in 1988. That’s why the Accademia is not just a place where art is collected, but it also fosters its spreading by training young artists and enhancing research and innovation.
After 7 long years of restoration works, the Accademia finally opened back in 2015 with a spectacular inauguration ceremony. The Museum attendance during the first year was really impressive: almost 115.000 people, 79.000 of them only in the first six months after the inauguration.