1528 -1588 · Verona, Venice and Venetian Republic

Glitzy architectures, sumptuous colors and moving crowds make Veronese the painter of Venetian magnificence.

Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese in reference to his hometown, was born in Verona in 1528 and died in Venice in 1588. Trained notably in the studio of Antonio Badile, he settled in Venice in the early 1550s and became, alongside Titian and Tintoretto, one of the great masters of the Venetian 16th century. His art combines classical composition, silvery light and extraordinarily rich color. He works for churches, patrician palaces, the library of Saint Mark, the Doge's Palace and the Villa Barbaro in Maser. His art combines classical composition, silvery light and extraordinarily rich color. He works for churches, patrician palaces, the library of Saint Mark, the Doge's Palace and the Villa Barbaro in Maser. The Wedding at Cana transposes the Gospel story into a monumental banquet, populated by musicians, servants, princes and animals under marble architecture. The Meal at Levi's, first conceived as a Last Supper, earned the painter an appearance before the Inquisition in 1573; rather than modifying the figures deemed inappropriate, he changed the title of the painting. The Family of Darius before Alexander organizes the mistake of Sisygambis as a sumptuous court scene. The Triumph of Venice finally elevates the Republic to the sky of the Doge's Palace. His vast workshop, in which his brother Benedetto and his sons participated, extends this vision after his death. The "Paul Veronese" selection notably compares The Wedding at Cana and The Meal at Levi’s. His reading favors composition.

Veronese transforms history into a celebration of painting: architecture orders the crowd, light circulates the gaze and color gives the story its splendor.