The paintings displayed in these three rooms reflect the remarkable collecting passion of financier Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (Üsküdar, 1869–Lisbon, 1955). Over his lifetime, Gulbenkian amassed more than 6,000 works of art spanning diverse periods and artistic styles, from Ancient Egypt to the 1930s. This extraordinary collection is housed in the Lisbon Museum that bears his name, inaugurated on 2 October 1969. Gulbenkian’s acquisitions were guided by a singular focus: the beauty of the objects.

Francesco Guardi is the artist most prominently featured in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, represented by a stunning group of paintings shown in their entirety for the first time in Madrid, thanks to a collaboration between the two institutions. The exhibition includes 18 oil paintings by Guardi, who rose to prominence as Venice's leading vedutista following Canaletto’s death in 1768, and one by his son Giacomo, acquired between 1907 and 1921, along with a drawing by Francesco added in 2002. These works, created between 1765 and 1791, illustrate iconic Venetian landmarks, the city’s festivals, its surrounding landscapes and the evocative capriccios for which Guardi became renowned.

Francesco Guardi. The Departure of the Bucintoro, c. 1765–1780

The city and its festivals

This exhibition features a curated selection of works by Guardi that capture the vibrant atmosphere of Venice during its most important celebrations. Such vedute were highly sought after, particularly by foreign visitors on the Grand Tour, most notably the English, who travelled across Europe as part of their education and collected these paintings as souvenirs of their time in Venice. 

The Feast of the Ascension, Venice’s most significant celebration, marked the Republic’s dominance over the sea. This spectacular event included the Doge’s departure aboard the Bucintoro, accompanied by a fleet of boats, to throw a ring into the water in a symbolic marriage with the sea. Saint Mark’s Square, the heart of the festivities, was transformed into a grand gathering space for Venetians, adorned with temporary decorations and structures. Guardi beautifully captured both the ceremonial rituals and the festive atmosphere in his compositions. 

Guardi’s regatta scenes also stand out, offering breathtaking views where sky and water are equally celebrated, alongside the architectural grandeur and the lively groups of figures that brought the events to life. 

While Guardi often drew inspiration from Canaletto’s works, he infused his scenes with a distinct energy. Unlike Canaletto’s more static compositions, Guardi’s vedute are alive with emotion, movement and dynamic charm.

Francesco Guardi. Capriccio

Terraferma and capriccios

In addition to capturing Venice’s grand events and iconic vistas, Guardi also turned his attention to more modest landscapes beyond the city’s opulent centre. These works depict rural areas such as Dolo, a town that also attracted Canaletto and Bellotto. Guardi’s paintings of these scenes focus on everyday life, with anonymous figures absorbed in their routines, creating a vivid and authentic sense of place. 

In his capriccios, Guardi introduces monumental ruins, temples, arcades and porticoes, often set in rural, wooded, or maritime landscapes. Moving away from academic conventions, he draws inspiration from Marco Ricci (1676–1730) and Alessandro Magnasco (1667–1749), allowing his imagination to guide the compositions. With his loose, expressive brushstrokes, Guardi conveys the passage of time and creates a nostalgic, poetic atmosphere.

Francesco Guardi. The Departure of the Bucintoro, c. 1765–1780

Francesco Guardi

The Departure of the Bucintoro, c. 1765–1780
Oil on canvas
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

In this work, Francesco Guardi combines two quintessentially Venetian themes: a sweeping view of the dock with its most iconic buildings, depicted along a gentle diagonal to the left and the departure of the Bucintoro, one of Venice’s grand ceremonial events. The Bucintoro, the Doge’s ceremonial galley, symbolised the Republic’s maritime power and was used for official ceremonies like the celebration of Ascension Day, during which the Doge’s symbolic marriage to the sea was enacted. The impressive ship, adorned with a red and gold banner bearing the winged lion of St. Mark, dominates the right side of the canvas. Guardi vividly captures the vibrant maritime procession with gondolas and various boats accompanying the majestic barge on its route.

Francesco Guardi. The Rialto Bridge after the Design by Palladio

Francesco Guardi

The Rialto Bridge after the Design by Palladio, c. 1770
Oil on canvas
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

This composition, blending whimsy and idealisation, draws inspiration from Canaletto’s works, who painted the same motif for a mainly British public. Guardi’s works often featured Andrea Palladio’s unbuilt design for the Rialto Bridge (1508-1580). Guardi places Palladio’s bridge at the centre of the scene, leaving the surrounding water free of traffic around its three arches. The actual stone bridge, designed by Antonio da Ponte (1512–1595) after winning the 1587 competition for its reconstruction, replaced the old wooden structure. Guardi captures the energy of the bustling area, with the Riva del Vin (where wine barrels were unloaded on one side of the canal) and Riva del Carbone on the other side serving as Venice’s main commercial hub. The movement of boats and figures brings the scene to life.

Francesco Guardi. Capriccio

Francesco Guardi

Capriccio, c. 1770-1780 
Oil on canvas 
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Guardi’s capriccios occupy an important place in his oeuvre. This small painting depicts an imaginary landscape where a ruined bridge, covered in vegetation, bisects the composition diagonally. In the foreground, two fishermen with a dog work on the riverbank, while a circular church with a vaulted roof rises in the background against a yellowish sky to the right. Two more figures appear in this imagined scene, adding to its chromatic harmony and fluid brushwork. A preparatory drawing displayed alongside this painting shows few variations from the final version, revealing Guardi’s distinctive, fluid brushstrokes reflect the chromatic richness that define the finished work.

The Bucintoro. Il Bucintoro, c. 1745-1750

Canaletto

Il Bucintoro, c. 1745–1750 
Oil on canvas 
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, on loan to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

This painting by Canaletto depicts one of Venice’s most celebrated views. The scene encompasses the Prisons, the Doge’s Palace, the Piazzetta with its iconic columns bearing the winged lion and St. Theodore, the Marciana Library, the Zecca and the grain warehouses. The Grand Canal, at the heart of the composition, leads to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. The dock is animated by the presence of the Bucintoro and numerous boats. Executed with precise drawing and vibrant colours, this painting exemplifies Canaletto’s finest work. 

Currently part of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, the canvas is on loan to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

Francesco Guardi. The Lock Gates at Dolo, c. 1774–1776

Francesco Guardi

The Lock Gates at Dolo, c. 1774–1776 
Oil on canvas 
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

This painting takes up a theme previously explored by Canaletto, which Guardi also rendered in multiple versions. 

In the foreground are the locks along the Brenta River as it flows through the village of Dolo. The composition is centred on the river, with the architectural elements leading the eye to the horizon, where the church of San Rocco is visible. The rural landscape is bathed in the warm light of sunset, which imbues the scene with pink and ochre tones, enhanced by bright white highlights. 

Guardi’s appreciation for everyday life is evident in the details: figures engaged in various tasks and aristocrats strolling in their elegant attire. During the 18th century, this area between Venice and Padua became a retreat for the upper class, who enjoyed their second homes here. The fashion of the woman’s headdress in the foreground, popularised by Madame du Barry in Paris around 1774 and arriving in Venice by 1776, provides a key detail for dating the work.

Francesco Guardi. The Feast of the Ascension in the Piazza San Marco

Francesco Guardi

The Feast of the Ascension in the Piazza San Marco, c. 1775
Oil on canvas
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Among the many depictions of St. Mark’s Square that Guardi created, this canvas stands out as a masterpiece. It is celebrated not only for its technical brilliance but also for its documentation of one of Venice’s most important events, the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. 

The expansive view leads the eye to St. Mark’s Basilica, where the façade contrasts with the towering verticality of the Campanile. On either side, the Clock Tower and Doge’s Palace are subtly visible, while the arcades of the Procuratie are decorated with garlands and house temporary holiday stalls. It is likely that Guardi employed a camera obscura to achieve such precise perspective. 

The scene comes alive with the bustling figures scattered throughout the square, painted with swift brushstrokes and vibrant touches of impasto. The warm evening light enhances the architecture with dramatic chiaroscuro. Guardi also captures a spectacular sky, with areas of light juxtaposed reflecting the atmospheric nuances of Venice. 

A preparatory drawing for this work, preserved in the British Museum in London, has been linked to this painting and to another piece on the same theme displayed nearby.

Francesco Guardi. The Island of San Giorgio Maggiore

Francesco Guardi

The Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, c. 1790 
Oil on canvas
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Opposite the Bacino di San Marco is the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, dominated by the church, convent, and distinctive bell tower that shape its iconic silhouette. 

Guardi revisited this scene multiple times, always capturing it from different perspectives. In this particular work, he portrays a side view of the famous church originally designed by Palladio, whose classical portico façade faces the city. Adjacent to it stands the Benedictine convent, one of the oldest religious complexes in Venice. The painting’s vertical format and small size make it exceptional, as no other versions of this subject share these characteristics. 

San Giorgio Maggiore was also painted by Bellotto and Canaletto, artists known for their precise architectural renderings. In contrast, Guardi’s approach offers a more personal, emotionally charged vision. This late work conveys the humid atmosphere of the Venetian lagoon, the warm glow of sunset, and shimmering reflections on the water, traversed by gondolas. His perspective leads the viewer's eye to the horizon, extending all the way to the Riva degli Schiavoni, with a dreamlike quality.

Francesco Guardi. Regatta on the Grand Canal

Francesco Guardi

Regatta on the Grand Canal, c. 1775 
Oil on canvas
Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

This captivating scene is inspired by a Canaletto painting of the same subject, held in the Royal Collection in the UK and dated around 1733–1734. 

The wide perspective of the Grand Canal begins, on the left, with the machina, a floating platform with a canopy where the authorities are seated. In the foreground, two gondolas feature carnival-clad figures, while the architecture and boats lining both sides of the canal lead the viewer’s eye towards the distant Rialto Bridge, faintly visible on the horizon. 

Regattas were a frequent and highly popular festive tradition in Venice. Guardi vividly captures the movement of boats and figures with dynamic brushstrokes and striking contrasts of colour. Unlike the precise, topographical compositions of earlier vedutists, Guardi's approach is more expressive. The spectators crowding windows and filling boats animate the scene, while the ornate bissone, luxurious gondolas rowed by multiple oarsmen, stand out with their floral decorations, vibrant colours and family banners.

Macro-photographic detail of Ast's work "Chinese Vase with Flowers, Shells and Insects"
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