Accademia Carrara di Belle Arti di Bergamo

Bergamo, Italy

The Accademia Carrara is an art gallery and an academy of fine arts in Bergamo. The origins of the art gallery lie with the Count Giacomo Carrara, a wealthy collector and patron of the arts, who left a generous legacy to the city of Bergamo at the end of the 18th century. After the Count's death, in 1796, his properties were managed by a nominated commissary until 1958, when the Comune di Bergamo took over direct supervision. In 1810, a new building in the neoclassical style was constructed, the project being undertaken by the architect Simone Elia, a pupil of Leopoldo Pollack.

The museum has continued to augment its collections both with purchases and donations. As of 2006, it possesses 1,800 paintings dating from the 15th to the 19th century, and by artists including Pisanello, Botticelli, Bellini, Carpaccio, Mantegna, Raphael, Moroni, Baschenis, Fra Galgario, Tiepolo, Canaletto and Piccio.

Besides paintings, there are drawings and prints, bronzes and sculptures, as well as collections of porcelain, furniture and medals.

In 1793, at the same time as the public opening of his gallery, the Count Giacomo Carrara desired that drawing and painting courses be initiated in the same place. The school, which was located in the same building as the art gallery until 1912, now has its own premises nearby. Since 1988, it has been an officially recognized Accademia di Belle Arti (Fine Arts Academy).

In 1991, the modern art gallery Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GAMEC) was opened on the opposite side of the road in a partially restored 14th-century monastery that had previously been used as a barracks. Presently, it has ten exhibition halls, on three floors. Since the purchase of the Gianfranco and Luigia Spajani collection in June 1999 the permanent collections have contained works by Italian and foreign artists of the 20th century.

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Details

Founded: 1810
Category: Museums in Italy

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Mark Lewis (8 months ago)
A jewel of art collection. It will take some time, though they have some good guides. Very eclectic collection with something from almost every period. A good way to look at Italian art history.
Κλελια Νικολακακη (8 months ago)
Exquisite gallery, with a great variety of paintings of a wide chronological range and eras. Greatly cared-for place. Highly recommended!
Antonio Maggi (8 months ago)
Superlative building with a good range of paintings. Canaletto, Guardi, Moroni and many more.
Davide Vettore (16 months ago)
I have there a few times! It’s really nice even if it’s a little small, but there are quite a lot of paintings and some rooms are stunning! It has been recently renovated and there will be a reorganization of the rooms in the foreseeable future. It’s definitely a must see if you plan to visit Bergamo, the museum it’s in the historical district of S. Caterina and five minutes walk from Porta S. Agostino, one of the main doors to reach the Upper Town, the historical core of the city.
Pepper Poppins (2 years ago)
A very nice art gallery with an academic point of view. The paintings are sorted and arranged in terms of time, category, ... I came here for the Rembrandt exhibition which will last until Oct 2021. I think this place is one of my favorites now in Lombardy. Also the service is awesome with friendly staffs, nice seats outside for guests to just relax. And a vending machine for souvenirs is the best thing that I have seen.
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