The Museo Civico of Bassano del Grappa is still housed today in the impressive rooms of the former convent complex of San Francesco, an iconic location in the city of Bassano. Over the centuries, the museum has been enhanced through donations, be quests and acquisitions: thousands of art-historical and documentary testimonials, ranging from prehistory to the Renaissance, realism in painting and the experiments of contemporary masters, make the Museo Civico a favourite place to steep oneself in the history and culture of the Bassano area through a visual narrative that brings together past, present and future.
Among the best-known artists in the collections are Jacopo Bassano and his sons, a celebrated dynasty of painters who played a leading role in the Veneto Renaissance, and the world's largest and most important collection of their work has been preserved in the museum. Then there is Antonio Canova, one of the greatest sculptors of all time, whose exceptional collection of works and documents (sculptures, paintings, drawings, books and letters) provides a record of both his genius and his astonishing creative process.
The museum also preserves exceptional testimonies of great masters from across the centuries: Guariento, Lorenzo Lotto, Artemisia Gentileschi, Giambattista Tiepolo, Alessandro Magnasco, Francesco Hayez, as well as an extensive archaeological collection with pieces that are unique in the world and an extraordinary collection of drawings and prints. Alongside the permanent collections, periodically, the museum offers outstanding temporary exhibitions and events that greatly enrich the broad cultural and artistic scene in the city of Bassano del Grappa.
