"Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727–1804). Un mondo nuovo" exhibition in Vicenza

Gallerie d'Italia - Vicenza, from 9 October 2026 to 17 January 2027, propose the exhibition Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727–1804). Un mondo nuovo, curated by Valter Curzi, Carolina Brook, Fabrizio Magani.

Organised to mark the 300^th anniversary of the artist’s birth, the exhibition pays tribute to one of the most original personalities of 18^th-century Venice, offering a comprehensive reinterpretation of his oeuvre and reinstating full recognition to a master who has been largely overshadowed by his father, Giambattista Tiepolo, for far too long.

Organised under the patronage of the Municipality of Vicenza and in collaboration with the Martin von Wagner Museum at the University of Würzburg, the exhibition presents 68 works from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, the Martin von Wagner Museum at the University of Würzburg, the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica in Rome, and other major Italian museums, ecclesiastical institutions and private collections. The works on display also include a faithful reproduction of a pantoscope, a remarkable optical instrument, on loan from the Museo del PRECINEMA in Padua.

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the most important moments in the artist’s career, from the early years spent working alongside his father on large-scale decorative projects to the works produced in his later years, revealing the extraordinary originality of a vision that transformed Venetian tradition into a personal reflection on the human landscape, everyday existence and the theatre of life.

The exhibition also traces the journeys that shaped his artistic development, from the region of Veneto to Germany and on to Spain, following a route that highlights the evolution of his painting, drawing and engraving. The distinguishing features of an artistic approach capable of combining the great 18th century decorative tradition with a brand new narrative and intimate sensibility emerge.

The exhibition explores the main topics that have defined Giandomenico Tiepolo’s work. From religious paintings, in which the light and the naturalness of the emotions portrayed lend the figures a strong sense of human intensity, to the famous series of engravings Idee pittoresche and Divertimento per li regazzi, authentic masterpieces of graphic invention. From the refined drawings inspired by his father’s models, bearing witness to his outstanding technical skill, to the sophisticated Character Heads, in which a formal sensitivity reminiscent of Rembrandt’s teachings shines through.

A central space is devoted to genre scenes, one of the most innovative aspects of his oeuvre.
 In these works, everyday life in 18^th century Venice becomes a story, an engaged observation and a recording of real life.

The latter part of his artistic career is represented by the famous Pulcinella cycle, created at the family villa in Zianigo. Through this simultaneously comical and melancholic figure, the artist builds a poetic universe in which the 18^th century repertoire is transformed into a personal reflection on time, memory and the human condition. Far from the spectacular nature of the grand Baroque fresco, Giandomenico develops an increasingly intimate and liberal style, capable of foretelling a thoroughly modern sensitivity.

The aim of the exhibition is to capture the complexity of an artist who, although trained in Giambattista Tiepolo’s workshop, succeeded in forging his own expressive independence, developing an original vision of reality, suspended between the observation of everyday life, fantastical invention and very close attention to humanity. The title Un mondo nuovo refers not only to one of his most celebrated masterpieces, but also to the artist’s ability to introduce a new way of looking at the world, in which grand history gives way to the gestures, faces and emotions of ordinary life.

A packed programme of #INSIDE activities is planned within the framework of the exhibition, featuring historical and artistic analysis, musical get-togethers and art&drink events. Visitors can look forward to themed itineraries, guided tours and family workshops. Particular attention is devoted to schools, for which a dedicated educational programme consisting of guided tours and creative workshops has been organised.

To explore the artist’s work in the area in greater depth, the Vicenza Tiepolo Card has been launched in collaboration with “Vicenza Turismo e Cultura”: a single ticket that, in addition to the exhibition, includes admission to the Civic Museum of Palazzo Chiericati, the Palladio Museum and Villa Valmarana ai Nani, places that preserve valuable examples of his work. A programme of guided tours is also planned.