Gallerie dell'Accademia acquires Vasari, Strozzi, Bellotti, and Hayez works for bicentennial

For its bicentennial, the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice has acquired four major works: Giorgio Vasari's 'La Speranza' (1542), Bernardo Strozzi's 'La parabola dell'invitato a nozze' (1636), Pietro Bellotti's 'Autoritratto in forma di stupore' (1654-1655), and eighteen drawings by Francesco Hayez. The acquisitions were made possible by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, with support from Venetian Heritage and Venice in Peril Fund (London). Vasari's panel was the last missing piece of a ceiling from Palazzo Corner Spinelli, dispersed in the 18th century and gradually reassembled by the state since 1987. Strozzi's canvas, originally from the church of the Ospedale degli Incurabili, depicts a parable. Bellotti's self-portrait, cited in a 1659 text, shows his characteristic realism. Hayez's drawings are preparatory studies for his 1867 painting 'La distruzione del tempio di Gerusalemme'. The works are on display in rooms XVIa and 11 until February 26.