Following the opening of the exhibition “From Titian to Rubens. Masterpieces from Antwerp and other Flemish collections” at the Doge’s Palace in Venice, a delegation from the City of Antwerp, led by Alderman for Culture Nabilla Ait Daoud, paid a working visit to the Italian lagoon city. The exhibition (6 September 2019 – 1 March 2020), organized by the Venice Civic Museums Foundation, has been curated by Ben Van Beneden, director of the Rubens House in Antwerp with the support of Visit Flanders, CJSM and the City Antwerp. The exhibition opened with a concert in the Basilica of San Marco with music by the 16th-century Flemish composer Adriaan Willaert.
In addition, the delegation also visited the ‘La Pelle’ exhibition by Antwerp painter Luc Tuymans in the prestigious palace “Palazzo Grassi”. The City of Antwerp also participated in the Forum of Mayors on the theme of “urban security”, organized by the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro.
The delegation was accompanied throughout the working visit by Geert De Proost, General Representative of the Government of Flanders in Italy. The General Representation, together with the City of Antwerp, provided a polyphony concert performed by the Sollazzo Ensemble in the wonderful Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli and a subsequent reception at the Palazzo Mora.
The MONDO CANE project by Jos De Gruyter and Harald Thys this year represents the Belgian Pavilion of the 58th Venice Biennal (11 May 2019 to 24 November 2019).
