Canaletto & Bellotto Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
24 March to 6 September 2026

The reputation of Bernado Bellotto has often existed in the shadow of his uncle and teacher, Giovanni Antonio Canal, otherwise known as Canaletto. Both artists were born in Venice, where the elder painter started off creating pictures of the city’s decay, before making a fortune by turning to its pomp and pageantry. His canvases proved a hit with aristocrats from England, where he spent a decade painting vedute (topographical pictures).

The younger artist initially mimicked his uncle’s style, even signing himself ‘Canaletto’ on occasion. Eventually, however, as he moved between the courts of Dresden, Vienna, Munich and Warsaw, his work excelled, becoming more detailed and dramatic, and many now consider him the superior artist.

Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum is reigniting the debate by exhibiting the pair in dialogue. With key loans from the Wallace Collection, the British Museum and the Princely Collection of Liechtenstein, the show sets the painters’ careers in the context of their times, tackling topics including the impact of war on the 18th-century art market, and whether either artist ever used a camera obscura.