Masterpieces on display at the Museum of 18th-Century Venice:

Ca’ Rezzonico hosts a core of the most important paintings by Francesco Guardi, coming from the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. 

An exhibition that encapsulates the spirit of the 18th century in its most emblematic place and, at the same time, a dialogue between international institutions, between stories of collections and collectors. 

The exhibition season of Ca’ Rezzonico - Museum of 18th-Century Venice opens from March 7 to June 8, 2026 with some special guests. A selection of paintings by Francesco Guardi (1712-1793), coming from one of the world's most important collections of works by the last great Venetian view painter of the 18th century: the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon.

Opened in 1969, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum has as the original core of its collections the collection of the Armenian entrepreneur and philanthropist, naturalized Englishman, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955). Known for his refined tastes, vast interests, deep knowledge, and eclecticism in art collecting ranging from Greek and Roman art to Impressionism, from the Italian Renaissance to the European 17th century, and decorative art. The nineteen works by Guardi acquired by him between 1907 and 1921 are recognized as some of the artist's most famous, famous for starting to paint views in his mature age, after years of experimentation in the field of history and genre painting, and once again testify to the complex and dynamic constitution of the museum collection. 

At the same time, their return to Venice fits into the path and narrative of the emblematic place of 18th-century Venice, in the history of collecting and civic collections, through the dialogue with drawings by Francesco Guardi from the funds of the Cabinet of Drawings and Prints: a core of works on paper, originally acquired by the "father" of civic collections, Teodoro Correr.