The paper examines a long-forgotten episode in Venetian museography: the small exhibition Bronzetti del Rinascimento, organized in 1966 at the Museo Correr by Giovanni Mariacher, director of the Civic Museums, on the occasion of the Ninth Week of Italian Museums. The rediscovery of historical photographs documenting the exhibition’s display, together with extensive records concerning its planning, offered an opportunity to reflect on several fronts. First, the essay considers the installation’s criteria: although Carlo Scarpa was not directly involved in the show, his recent redisplay of the Museo Correr significantly influenced its aesthetic. Second, it explores the motivations behind Mariacher’s exhibition as well as the critical outcomes of both the Venetian show and its subsequent tour across six museums in the United States. Indeed, these initiatives took place in the context of international scholarly acclaim for small-scale bronze sculpture of the Venetian school. This study thus highlights the interplay between curatorial practice, museum aesthetics, and the transnational circulation of artworks and art historical knowledge.
La mostra "Bronzetti del Rinascimento" al Museo Correr (1966): echi scarpiani ed esiti critici, con un intermezzo americano
Paruzzo, Valeria
2026
Abstract
The paper examines a long-forgotten episode in Venetian museography: the small exhibition Bronzetti del Rinascimento, organized in 1966 at the Museo Correr by Giovanni Mariacher, director of the Civic Museums, on the occasion of the Ninth Week of Italian Museums. The rediscovery of historical photographs documenting the exhibition’s display, together with extensive records concerning its planning, offered an opportunity to reflect on several fronts. First, the essay considers the installation’s criteria: although Carlo Scarpa was not directly involved in the show, his recent redisplay of the Museo Correr significantly influenced its aesthetic. Second, it explores the motivations behind Mariacher’s exhibition as well as the critical outcomes of both the Venetian show and its subsequent tour across six museums in the United States. Indeed, these initiatives took place in the context of international scholarly acclaim for small-scale bronze sculpture of the Venetian school. This study thus highlights the interplay between curatorial practice, museum aesthetics, and the transnational circulation of artworks and art historical knowledge.
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