Caffè Florian (detail) by Italico Brass (1912)

(Venice, Italy) Italico Brass is the most delightful painter of Venice that many people probably have never heard of. That's all about to change thanks to a gem of an exhibition in Palazzo Loredan in Campo Santo Stefano entitled Italico Brass, Il Pittore di Venezia.

The last time Italico Brass had his own show was back in 1948 at the Venice Art Biennale, the first Biennale after the fall of the Fascist regime.

Instead of painting the usual Venetian monuments, Brass captured the everyday lives and times of the inhabitants of Venice, the town that he had adopted as his home. From gondoliers to lace-makers, cafes in Piazza San Marco to high-society on the Lido, Brass reminds us of how many precious elements of life in Venice once existed, some of which still exist to this day.

Due buranelle (Two women of Burano) by Italico Brass (c. 1904)

 Born in the Northern Italian town of Gorizia on December 12, 1870 when it was under Austrian domination, Brass wanted to be an artist from a young age. Family lore says that his father took him to the ancient Gorizia Castle and pointed far off in the distance, telling him stories about Venice, a city that became a fixation to the budding painter.

Brass studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Munich after proving his talent by painting a portrait of his father at age 16. He then lived in Paris and frequented Impressionist and Post-Impressionist circles, where numerous exhibitions of his work were held. He also found success in various European cities and the Americas. 

Italico Brass self-portrait (1928) inside Palazzo Loredan

Brass arrived from Paris to the lagoon in 1895 with his new wife, Lina Rebecca Vidgoff, living first in Chioggia and then in Venice. He was present at the very first Venice Art Biennale in 1895, and in almost every edition until the year of his death in August 1943.

After that, he fell into oblivion except for one show in his home town of Gorizia in 1991.

Now, 80 years after Brass's death, Venice is thrusting her adopted son -- who had been called "The Painter of Venice" by critics since the early 20th century -- back into the spotlight.

Scuola di merletti (School of Lace) by Italico Brass

What is fascinating about the exhibition is that Brass has captured the stories we hear about Venice at the turn of the 20th century, and brought them to life. Instead of reading about the revival of lace-making on the island of Burano thanks to the efforts of Countess Andriana Marcello, Brass was actually there on Burano in 1904. He spent the summer with fellow artists Pieretto Bianco and Umberto Veruda, who was a guest of the author Italo Svevo. Thanks to his brush we can witness the women at work, making lace.

Conversazione sulla spiaggia (Conversation on the beach) by Italico Brass

There is a enchanting series of paintings of the Lido that Brass painted during the first half of the 20th century as it developed into a lively seaside resort. He captures wealthy visitors lounging on its shores as well as everyday Venetians frolicking in the sea, scenes that still exist to this very day (with far less clothing) -- if you know where to look.

I wish you could still get a manicure, pedicure and a shave right on the beach!

One of my favorite works was a small painting of the instantly recognizable interior of Locanda Montin over in Dorsoduro.

Sotto la pergola (Under the Pergola) by Italico Brass (c.1920)

Next to the painting was a note that said:

This is the pergola in the garden of the Locanda Montin frequented by Brass almost every day: here he met both D'Annunzio and Ezra Pound.

Can you imagine such a trio at lunch?! Italico Brass lived in the house next to the Church of San Trovaso in Dorsoduro, not far from Pound and D'Annunzio.

The notes from the exhibition state that "Brass did not belong to any school, current or other but, as the critics say, 'belonged to himself.' With these characteristics of originality and uniqueness, Italico Brass practically spanned the first half of the century, devoting himself mainly, but not exclusively, to portraying Venice and its world in new and, above all, modern terms."

There are about 100 works on display inside Palazzo Loredan that whisk you back to Venice a century ago before the tourist invasion. After I left the exhibition, I stopped over in Campo San Maurizio to take a photo of the same image that Italico Brass painted in 1910.

El Campaniel, (bell tower) Campo San Maurizio left: 1910 oil on canvas by Italico Brass - right: 2023 iPad photo by Cat Bauer

Italico Brass, Il Pittore di Venezia curated by Giandomeico Romanelli and Pascaline Vatin runs from September 30 to December 22, 2023. The two curators also made a short film that gives an interesting history, in Italian with English subtitles. 

Italico Brass, The Painter of Venice is produced by the Istituto Venetio di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti and lineadacqua, who also has published a beautiful accompanying book -- in Italian, but with many gorgeous images that do not need words to understand. The main partner is Majer, so you can also support them by enjoying their delicious pastries and other goodies.

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog