The Academy
Our headquarters is located in a splendid mid-1500s building designed by Iacopo Sansovino and built by Antonio Da Ponte, in Fondamenta delle Zattere. Our neighbors are the Vedova Museum, the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, and Palazzo Grassi / Punta della Dogana Museum. And on top of that we are in one of the world’s most stimulating contexts for contemporary arts: the city of the Art Biennale!
We could easily list the great artists who were trained in the Academy's classrooms or who taught here. However, the real challenge is knowing how to connect our history to what is happening today in the world of the arts, in the ever-alive context of research, which professional perspectives are deeply linked to the different aspects of today's creativity. Our courses reflect all these aspects. They are divided into first and second level courses that award the First Level Diploma, equivalent to a Bachelor of Arts and lasting three years and the Second Level Diploma, equivalent to a Master of Arts and lasting two years.
Library
The Library of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, declared of local interest by the Cultural Heritage Department of the Veneto Region, is based at the former Ospedale degli Incurabili in Zattere since the end of 2001. The Library is open to those who explicitly request it. You must previously read the Regulation and register on the OPAC (online catalogue) of the SBN library centre of Venice.
The modern book heritage of the Library, which is enriched annually thanks to purchases and donations, includes books and periodicals.
Historical Archive
The archive has been declared of particular historical interest by the Italian Ministry of Culture.
The documentation preserved in the archive testifies the intense activity carried out by the Academy, from the mid-18th to the mid-20th century. These activities included the organization of the courses, the schools and the teaching, as well as the set-up and management of the Gallerie dell'Accademia (until 1878), the preparation of annual exhibitions, and the conservation and restoration of all the works of art of Venice and Veneto.
Magazzino del Sale n. 3
Our institution has a new available exhibition space: Magazzino del Sale n. 3 (Salt Warehouse n. 3), next to the Vedova Foundation. It is new, completely renovated, flexible and equipped with innovative air conditioning and lighting system. Thanks to a multi-year agreement the Municipality of Venice, has provided the Academy with this further logistical space to promote projects on contemporary arts, both in the city and national and international areas.