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New Canova Museum to Open in Carrara by 2019

cultural-heritage · 2026-05-05

Carrara, already known for a new Michelangelo museum, will open a museum dedicated to Antonio Canova and neoclassical sculpture. The museum, hosted in the 18th-century Palazzo Rosso on Piazza Accademia, will display the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara's collection of about thirty plaster casts by Canova, Thorvaldsen, and others. The project, led by director Luciano Massari in synergy with the municipality, aims to valorize the institute's historical-artistic heritage. The collection includes casts of famous works like the Venere Italica and Venere e Adone, plus sculptures by Finelli, Tenerani, and Bartolini. The museum is expected to open in 2019, coinciding with the Academy's 250th anniversary. Management will be directly by the Academy, not a foundation, following the model of the Accademia Albertina di Torino.

Key facts

  • New museum dedicated to Antonio Canova and neoclassical sculpture to open in Carrara.
  • Museum will be housed in Palazzo Rosso, an 18th-century building on Piazza Accademia.
  • Collection includes about thirty plaster casts by Canova, Thorvaldsen, and others.
  • Notable works include casts of Venere Italica and Venere e Adone by Canova.
  • Also features sculptures by Finelli, Tenerani, and Bartolini.
  • Project led by Luciano Massari, director of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara.
  • Museum expected to open in 2019, for the Academy's 250th anniversary.
  • Management will be directly by the Academy, not a foundation.

Entities

Artists

  • Antonio Canova
  • Michelangelo Buonarroti
  • Bertel Thorvaldsen
  • Giuseppe Finelli
  • Pietro Tenerani
  • Lorenzo Bartolini
  • Gian Lorenzo Bernini
  • Giambologna

Institutions

  • Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara
  • Comune di Carrara
  • Accademia Albertina di Torino
  • Centro Arti Plastiche
  • Villa Fabbricotti

Locations

  • Carrara
  • Italy
  • Tuscany
  • Palazzo Rosso
  • Piazza Accademia
  • Palazzo del Principe
  • Luni
  • Fantiscritti

Sources