Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy
31 Jan—13 Apr 2009
In the Main Galleries
In 2009, the Royal Academy of Arts will present the first exhibition devoted to Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580) to be held in London for over 30 years; it will celebrate the quincentenary of his birth. Palladio was not only one of the greatest Italian architects, he was also a practitioner whose work has continued to resonate down five centuries.
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
Active in Vicenza, Venice and the Veneto region, Palladio 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 œuvre includes public buildings and churches; however, it was his town palaces and country villas that influenced subsequent generations of European and American architects.
Large-scale models, computer animations, original drawings and paintings will 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.
Palladio has been called the ‘architects’ architect’. As a unique counterpart to this exhibition the Royal Academy of Arts Architecture Programme is commissioning a selection of contemporary architects to give their personal responses to Palladio in The Architecture Space.
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.
