Two remarkable photography exhibitions are currently transforming Venice into a celebration of the medium's rich history, featuring works that span nearly two centuries of artistic innovation. The Museo Fortuny and the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, both housed in historic Venetian buildings that are architectural treasures in themselves, are presenting complementary shows that highlight pivotal moments in photography's development. These exhibitions offer visitors an extraordinary opportunity to trace the evolution of photography from its early documentary roots to its conceptual contemporary expressions.
At the Museo Fortuny, the exhibition "Antonio Beato. Ritorno a Venezia" showcases the groundbreaking work of Antonio Beato (c. 1835-1905/1906), one of the most significant figures in 19th-century photography. Beato, along with his brother Felice and brother-in-law James Robertson, was among the pioneers of travel and war photography, documenting distant lands that were largely unknown to Western audiences at the time. The exhibition traces Antonio Beato's remarkable journeys from Venice to the Mediterranean and the East, providing insight into what can be considered a prelude to modern documentary photography.
Antonio Beato distinguished himself as one of the first European photographers to establish permanent residence in the Middle East. Between 1860 and 1880, he meticulously documented Egypt, capturing its landscapes, architecture, and archaeological sites with unprecedented detail and artistry. His photographic albums and prints were eagerly acquired by European nobility and bourgeoisie, who were fascinated by the exotic allure of the Near and Far East. The palace housing this exhibition once belonged to Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, an eclectic artist known for his work in painting, engraving, scenography, fashion design, and fabric creation, who was himself captivated by Oriental charm and experimented with photography.
The exhibition is organized into several thematic sections that chronologically follow the Beato brothers' artistic journey. "The Mediterranean" section covers their formative years from 1854 to 1857, when they traveled with James Robertson, establishing their base in Constantinople and venturing to Athens, Malta, Jerusalem, and Cairo. "The Wars" section presents their pioneering work in conflict photography between 1855 and 1859, featuring sometimes disturbing images from war zones in Crimea and India that bear witness to the early days of war reporting.
The most extensive section, "The Egyptian Years," documents Antonio Beato's prolific period in Egypt from 1860 to 1905. The photographs are carefully organized by location and accompanied by detailed drawings of major archaeological sites, taking viewers on a visual journey from Cairo up the Nile to Nubia. These images reveal ancient monuments as integral parts of their surrounding landscape and cultural context, featuring iconic locations such as Luxor, Abu Simbel, Cairo, and Giza. The exhibition enhances this historical perspective by juxtaposing Beato's work with photographs by other 19th-century photographers like Pascal Sébah and Félix Bonfils, as well as 20th-century works including Lee Miller's "Great Pyramid of Cheops" from 1938.
The "Dopo Beato" (After Beato) section brings the narrative into contemporary times by featuring works by modern photographers documenting Cairo's ongoing transformation. A special room is dedicated to Mariano Fortuny and Henriette Nigrin's 1938 expedition to Egypt, offering glimpses of lesser-known places such as the El-Fayyum oasis, Abu Simbel, and Wadi Halfa. Fortuny later incorporated these photographic inspirations into his renowned printed fabrics and velvets, demonstrating the cross-pollination between photography and other art forms.
Just a short walk through Venice's characteristic calli and across its canals, the Fondazione Querini Stampalia presents a dramatically different but equally significant chapter in photography's evolution. The foundation, housed in the former historic residence of Count Giovanni Querini, is currently hosting "John Baldessari. No Stone Unturned – Conceptual Photography," a comprehensive retrospective of one of conceptual art's most influential figures. John Baldessari (1931-2020) revolutionized the art world over his seven-decade career, fundamentally redefining concepts of artistic creation and meaning.
Baldessari's innovative approach drew inspiration from everyday life and visual culture, exploring the complex relationships between image and language, object and meaning. His multimedia practice encompassed painting, sculpture, drawing, video, and photography, but this retrospective focuses specifically on a crucial period in the late 1960s when he began using photography as the centerpiece of his conceptual practice. Rather than pursuing traditional photographic subjects, Baldessari found profound artistic potential in the ordinary objects surrounding him in Los Angeles, in his studio, and during his teaching activities.
The exhibition demonstrates Baldessari's genius for achieving complex conceptual goals through seemingly simple means, consistently challenging viewers' perceptions and their continuous search for meaning. His 1969 series "Commissioned Paintings" exemplifies this approach: Baldessari photographed a finger pointing at ordinary objects, then commissioned a hyperrealist painter to reproduce the image while a sign painter added captions featuring the painter's name. This multilayered process complicated traditional notions of authorship while questioning painting's capacity to determine what deserves artistic attention.
A pivotal moment in Baldessari's career came with his 1970 "Cremation Project," in which he deliberately burned many of his canvases in a symbolic rejection of traditional painting. This project, documented almost exclusively through photographs, marked his definitive turn toward photography and conceptual art. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Baldessari experimented with various photographic approaches across multiple series, each exploring different aspects of the medium's potential.
The exhibition features several of Baldessari's most significant photographic works, including "Police Drawing" (1971), which examined photography's role as circumstantial evidence. Other notable pieces include videos like "Teaching a Plant the Alphabet" (1972), which presents absurd situations that challenge logical expectations. His photographic series often arranged images in grids or other visual patterns to explore the relationship between photography and cinema, demonstrating his understanding of how sequential images create narrative meaning.
Baldessari's "Kissing Series" highlighted the significance of negative space and the spaces between objects, while his "Embed Series" explored subliminal imagery by inserting words and images into each photograph. His "Blasted Allegories" consists of photographs of television screens with superimposed words, taken with a timer to remove any trace of the artist's direct intervention. Using arrows and other graphic symbols, Baldessari combined these images into complex sequences that expose viewers' inherent need to find meaning in what they observe.
Both exhibitions feature carefully curated selections of original prints and high-quality reproductions from prestigious international institutions. The Antonio Beato exhibition showcases prints reproduced using historical techniques and media consistent with the originals, ranging from salted paper to albumen prints. The Beato exhibition is curated by João Magalhães Rocha and Marco Ferrari, with Cristina Da Roit, and organized in collaboration with Università IUAV di Venice and the Università di Évora, with patronage from the Portuguese Embassy in Italy. The Baldessari retrospective is curated by Cristiana Collu, and both exhibitions are accompanied by comprehensive catalogues published by specialized art publishers.
Visitors to the Fondazione Querini Stampalia should not miss Giovanni Bellini's Renaissance masterpiece "Presentation of Jesus in the Temple" (c. 1475), displayed in a specially designed installation that emphasizes its historical and artistic significance. This combination of contemporary and classical art creates a unique dialogue between different periods of artistic expression. The exhibitions run through early 2026, offering ample opportunity for photography enthusiasts, art historians, and general visitors to experience these remarkable presentations that illuminate photography's journey from documentary tool to conceptual art medium.
