Exhibitions

Jenny Saville a Ca' Pesaro

Venice, Italy

A monumental reunion of flesh and oil, where Jenny Saville’s contemporary bodies breathe amidst the ghosts of Venetian masters.

Painting Focus Jenny Saville

Image credit

Focus Jenny Saville © Jenny Saville

Meet the artist

The Movement

Contemporary Art, Painting

ArtLovers Tip

Pay close attention to the brushwork in the newer Venice cycle; the artist’s use of color there shifts slightly to catch the specific, watery reflections found just outside the museum windows.

Exhibition Highlights - What you’ll see

Jenny Saville redefined the possibilities of oil paint in the 1990s, treating the human body not as a static subject but as a living, bruising landscape. This retrospective at Ca' Pesaro spans her career from the Young British Artist era to the present, marking her first major presence in the floating city.

You're watching massive canvases that seem almost too large for the room, where the texture of skin is rendered with a visceral, sculptural thickness. The natural light filtering into the palace catches the heavy impasto of over thirty works, leading you toward a final, unseen series of paintings created specifically as an ode to Venice itself.

Worth the trip

  • Venetian Dialogue: See Saville's modern explorations of flesh in direct conversation with the heavy-handed, painterly traditions of the Venetian School.
  • Career Arc: Witness the evolution from her early 1990s provocations to her recent, more abstract engagements with history and sculpture.
  • World Premiere: Experience a site-specific cycle of works never before shown, conceived by the artist as a love letter to the city's unique atmosphere.

How to experience it

Begin in the early rooms to understand the weight and scale Saville brings to the human form, then allow the chronological flow to lead you to the final, Venice-inspired cycle. After leaving the Grand Canal's edge at Ca' Pesaro, wander toward the quiet alleys of Santa Croce to see how the city's crumbling textures mirror the layered, tactile surfaces of the paintings you have just left behind.

Because you are an artlover,

Join our community of art enthusiasts and discover exhibitions, artists, and masterpieces tailored to your tastes. Get personalized recommendations and never miss a must-see show again.

Join us