The museum extends along the southside of the square on the upper floors of the Procuratorie Nuove. With its rich and varied collections, the Museo Correr covers both the art and history of Venice.
The Museo Correr originated with the collection bequeathed to the city of Venice in 1830 by Teodoro Correr. A member of a traditional Venetian family, Correr was a meticulous and passionate collector, dedicating most of his life to the collection of both works of art and documents or individual objects that reflected the history of Venice. Upon his death, all this material was donated to the city, together with the family’s Grand Canal palace which then housed it. The nobleman also left the city funds to be used in conserving and extending the collections and in making them available to the public.
Collection
Beginning in Room 19, the art collection in Museo Correr is divided into two parts. On the first floor, four rooms house the collection of small bronzes, including pieces by Veneto region sculptors from the late 15th to the first decades of the 17th century. On the second floor, 19 rooms display the Picture Gallery, which focuses primarily on Venetian painting up to the 16th century. There are also rooms dedicated to maiolica-work and to carved ivories.
The Picture Gallery starts at the end of Room 14 and comprises examples of Venetian paintings from the very earliest days right up to the beginning of the 16th century.
Repeatedly re-organized during the history of the museum, the gallery still substantially reflects the original collection left by Teodoro Correr, comprising artworks by Giovanni Bellini (including the early Crucifixion, Transfiguration of Christ, a Madonna and Child and Dead Christ Supported by Two Angels), Antonello da Messina, Cosmè Tura, Vittore Carpaccio (Man with Red Hat and Two Venetian Ladies), and others. Further bequests, gifts, loans, and acquisitions have added to this heritage. Other artists who are present throughout the exhibition rooms include Paolo Veneziano, Lorenzo Veneziano, Stefano Veneziano, Jacobello di Bonomo, Michele Giambono, Jacobello del Fiore, Gentile da Fabriano, Pisanello, Matteo Giovannetti, Bartolomeo Vivarini, Leonardo Boldrini, Pieter Bruegel the Younger, Jacopo Bellini, Alvise Vivarini, Cima da Conegliano, Lorenzo Lotto, Boccaccio Boccaccino, and several other important Italian and European artists.
