Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna Exhibition Challenges Perceptions of Canaletto and Bellotto's City Views

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is presenting an exhibition titled 'Canaletto & Bellotto: The Art of The Constructed View,' featuring 32 paintings by Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto, 1697–1768) and his nephew Bernardo Bellotto (1721–1780). The show, curated by Mateusz Mayer, runs until September 6, 2026, and brings together works from European collections including the Wallace Collection, Lobkowicz Collection, and Liechtenstein collection. The exhibition argues that these artists' vedute (city views) of Venice, London, Dresden, and Vienna are not photographic documents but carefully constructed images shaped by artistic decisions, patron demands, and contemporary social and political contexts. It highlights Canaletto's Venetian works like 'The Bacino di San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore' (1735–1744), his London period paintings such as 'London: The Thames on Lord Mayor's Day' and 'Westminster Abbey with a Procession of the Knights of the Order of the Bath,' and Bellotto's Viennese views including 'View of Vienna from the Belvedere' (1759–1760). The show explores how the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) disrupted the Grand Tour market, forcing both artists to seek new patrons abroad. It also examines Bellotto's practice of signing works as 'called Canaletto' to leverage his uncle's fame. Additional elements include a period Camera Obscura display and an AI immersive experience. The exhibition aims to reveal the engineered nature of these paintings, challenging their traditional interpretation as straightforward historical records.