Basilica Palladiana hosts exhibition of Italian and German art

The Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, Italy, hosted an exhibition titled "Italia Germania. Pittura e scultura tra Ottocento e Novecento. Da Canova a Kiefer" which explores the artistic exchange between Italy and Germany.

The exhibition features 168 works from over 60 Italian and international institutions and collections. It remains open to the public until 2 May 2027. Curators Gabriella Belli and Valerio Terraroli organized the exhibition to show how two artistic traditions interacted and transformed each other over two centuries.

The journey begins with the influence of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose travels through Italy from 1786 to 1788 served as a catalyst for cultural rebirth and a search for classical and Renaissance ideals. The collection traces these connections through different movements. It shows how the Nazareni painters in Rome adopted the clarity of Italian Purists and the classicism of Canova.

It also follows the development of symbolism, the rise of Italian Futurism in Berlin, and the emergence of New Objectivity and Magical Realism after World War I. Later periods in the exhibition highlight the dialogue between abstract art and the material focus of the ZERO group and the Azimuth movement.