Art: Canaletto And His Rivals @ National Gallery

M@
By M@ Last edited 161 months ago
Art: Canaletto And His Rivals @ National Gallery

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It's all our fault, of course. The blossoming of view painting in 18th Century Venice, exemplified by the works of Canaletto, was totally fueled by wealthy young Brits on the 'Grand Tour'. Many paintings from this era found their way back to these shores, and can today be seen at places such as the Wallace Collection and John Soane's Museum. To bag 50 in one go, though, head to the National Gallery from today to view the Canaletto and his Rivals exhibition.

Paintings by the master of the genre are hung alongside works by imitators and inspirers such as Carlevarijs, Bellotto and Guardi. The paintings originally served as pictorial ambassadors for Venice, attracting ever more visitors to its uniquely beautiful charms. 300 years on, and we'll no doubt see a surge in bookings to Venice on the back of this colourful exhibition.

Canaletto and his Rivals runs at the National Gallery until 16 January. Full price tickets £12.

Last Updated 13 October 2010