Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy

31 January—13 April 2009

In the Main Galleries, Burlington House

This exhibition has closed

This is the first exhibition devoted to Andrea Palladio (1508–1580) to be held in London for over 30 years and celebrates the quincentenary of his birth.

Model of the church of the Redentore, Venice, 1972. Lime and beechwood with bisque details, 152 x 241 x 87 cm Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, Vicenza. Photo Alberto Carolo

Palladio was not only one of the greatest Italian architects; he was also a practitioner whose work has continued to resonate down five centuries. Active in Vicenza, Venice and the Veneto region, he crafted a new architectural language derived from classical sources yet shaped to fulfil the functional demands and aesthetic aspirations of his own age. His impressive oeuvre includes public buildings and churches. It was, however, his town palaces and country villas that influenced subsequent generations of European and American architects. Large-scale models, computer animations, original drawings, books and paintings present the full range of this exceptional architect’s output and his legacy, demonstrating why Palladio’s name has been synonymous with architecture for 500 years.

'Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy' has been organised by the Royal Academy of Arts and the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, Vicenza, with the collaboration of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The exhibition has been curated by Guido Beltramini, Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, Vicenza, and Howard Burns, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, with MaryAnne Stevens, Royal Academy of Arts, London.

In the Architecture Space - Andrea Palladio: Through the eyes of contemporary architects

• Royal Academy of Arts