With the world-famous CarnivalofVenice in full swing on the eastern side of northern Italy, the capital ofthe north-west sent off the Games with its own decadent party featuring acrobats, clowns -- and a touch of burlesque.
In the first section, history paintings documenting the familiar events of 18th-century Venice, such as masked carnival-goers at the Ridotto, the state-run gambling house, are executed in precise detail, according to the canons ofthe neoclassical current ofthe day, with none ofthe fanciful splashes of color in the artist's later work.
The second will focus on the diversity ofthe national, and in particular the Venetian, intangible cultural heritage (such as traditional boats, VeniceCarnival, Murano glass- making and Burano lace to the legacy of fine Venetian fabrics and textiles).