Marino Niola and food as the engine of history

19 September 2023

The second event in the Incontri_23 lecture series features Marino Niola, anthropologist, journalist and science disseminator.    Sunday, Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. | Museum of Natural History “Giancarlo Ligabue,” Venice Food as the engine of history   The focus of his talk will be food and food grammars, from the discovery of fire to […]

Ilaria Capua opens the conferences of the Incontri_23 series

18 September 2023

On September 30 with “The Words of Circular Health” by Ilaria Capua, we will kick off the rich program of “Incontri_23,” nine lectures open to the city that we have organized to celebrate an important double anniversary: the 100th anniversary of the Museum of Natural History “Giancarlo Ligabue” and 50 years of Ligabue culture.    […]

Another great award for Power and Prestige

11 September 2023

The project Power & Prestige. The Art of Clubs in Oceania- which led to an exhibition in Venice and Paris in 2022 and a publication collecting essays by leading experts on oceanic civilizations- continues to be a great satisfaction.   The exhibition catalog was awarded the “Pierre Moos” International Art Book Prize, whose aim is […]

Leonardo collectors in Venice in the 1700s

11 April 2023

On April 15 – the date of Leonardo da Vinci’s birth in 1452 – we will host the penultimate of the in-depth lectures dedicated to “De’ Visi Mostruosi.”   On this occasion, Paola Cordera – Associate Professor of Museology, Art Criticism and Restoration, School of Design of the Milan Polytechnic as well as author of […]

Tiepolo’s caricatures

20 March 2023

The Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation is promoting a series of lectures with the authors of the catalog De’ Visi Mostruosi e Caricature. From Leonardo da Vinci to Bacon to delve into the themes, artists and works covered, which you can see at Palazzo Loredan (Campo Santo Stefano 2549) until April 27.    The third event will […]

Art seen up close #7: Leonardo da Vinci’s caricature of Chierico

16 March 2023

The small drawing depicting the head and half-figure of a male figure is to be considered one of the few original works by Leonardo that can truly be called ‘caricatures.’ Beginning with the figure’s head, with hair and tonsure, and then observing the hooked nose, the receding chin and the half-open mouth, features that give the […]

The comic and the ridiculous heads: from Lomazzo to Arcimboldo

8 March 2023

The Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation is promoting a series of lectures with the authors of the catalog De’ Visi Mostruosi e Caricature. From Leonardo da Vinci to Bacon to delve into the themes, artists and works covered, which you can see at Palazzo Loredan (Campo Santo Stefano 2549) until April 27.  The second event will be […]

Lecture series on the exhibition: first appointment Tuesday, March 7

7 March 2023

The Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation is promoting a series of lectures with the authors of the catalog De’ Visi Mostruosi e Caricature. From Leonardo da Vinci to Bacon to delve into the themes, artists and works covered, which you can admire at Palazzo Loredan (Campo Santo Stefano 2549) until April 27.    The first event is […]

Monstrous aperitifs

20 February 2023

A glass of wine with us at the exhibition every Friday throughout the month of February, starting on February 3rd, preceded by a guided tour to get to know the artists and works on display, understand their genesis and meanings, and delve into the history of caricatures.   Friday 3, 10, 17 and 24 February, […]

Information for visitors

16 February 2023

We inform visitors that for internal reasons on Thursday 9 February the exhibition will close at 3.30 pm. with last access at 3 pm. The scheduled guided tour of 11 am will then take place regularly. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you in advance for your understanding.

Art seen up close #6: The caricatures of Tiepolo

15 February 2023

The main character in this caricature wears the typical eighteenth-century Venetian carnival disguise known as a bautta, which in its most common fashions included a black cloak, hood, white mask with a prominent nose cut off halfway down the face, and tricorn on the head. Giambattista Tiepolo declined this invention in several sheets of caricatures, […]

Guided tours of the exhibition

25 January 2023

Saturday 28th January sees the opening of the Foundation’s splendid new exhibition, in spite of its name: De’ Visi Mostruosi. It is a collection of extraordinary works ranging from Leonardo’s ‘charged and grotesque heads’ to Anton Maria Zanetti and Giambattista Tiepolo’s caricatures of 18th century Venice.    In order to fully appreciate the value and […]

Educational workshops at the exhibition

25 January 2023

An exhibition on caricatures, on faces deformed by the pencils and brushes of great artists, including Venetian ones: what better occasion, combined with Carnival, to organise creative activities with children to bring them closer to art?   On Saturday 11th and 18th February and Sunday 12th and 19th, at 3.30 p.m., we will hold – […]

Art seen up close #5: the panel of Giovan Paolo Lomazzo

16 January 2023

Giovan Paolo Lomazzo (1538-1592), Grotesque head of a woman turned to the right, c. 1560 Oil and tempera on panel, 26 × 18 cm On the verso illegible inscription in pencil  Milan, private collection     The painting was attributed to Giovan Paolo Lomazzo by Roberto Longhi when it was in a private collection in […]

Art seen up close #4: the Old Woman’s Head

19 December 2022

Leonardo’s (1452-1519) researches on facial deformations and physiognomies seem to belong to his early Milanese days and thus are to be related to after about 1482.  Leonardo’s famous ‘grotesque heads,’ and much of the tradition inspired by him from the 16th to the entire 18th century, cannot properly be called ‘caricatures’ in the meaning usually […]

De’ Visi Mostruosi and Caricatures: presentation of the exhibition to the press

13 December 2022

On Wednesday, December 14, at noon, we will present to the public the next exhibition promoted and organized by the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation, in the Sala Federiciana of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan: De’ Visi Mostruosi e Caricature. From Leonardo da Vinci to Bacon.  The exhibition, curated by Pietro C. Marani, is opening on […]

King Cambyses’ army

14 November 2022

Herodotus tells of a Persian army buried by a sandstorm; in 1983, an expeditionwent looking for it. Might a Persian army of 50,000 people, buried under the desert sand 2,500 years ago be awaiting discovery? What could be one of the greatest archaeological finds in history was suggested by a careful reading of Herodotus, who told in […]

A game for life

14 November 2022

The Aztecs and Mayans played games with a rubber ball, and the losing team lost their heads too. The gentleman, for his leisure, played ball. For this purpose he kept balls of ulli; these balls were large balls to play with pins. They were massive, and made of a particular resin or rubber called ulli, which […]

The life and travels of Marco Polo

14 November 2022

A portrait of the traveller as told by the Venetian historian who wrote his biography. If Dante Alighieri did in fact come to Venice in 1322, he would have had the chance to meet Marco Polo, who was still alive  and well in his house in the San Giovanni Crisostomo neighbourhood, which the family bought […]

Close up to art #3: the Mayan yokes

9 November 2022

To the different types of ball games, there are different outfits corresponding: knee guards, arm guards, chest guards, hip/thigh/hamstring guards, and sometimes a combination of several items when specific parts of the body were stressed during the game.  The most famous pieces are the yoke, the axe, and the palm.  Yokes are stone representations of […]

I Dialoghi della Fondazione Ligabue

29 October 2022

Two of Ligabue Magazine’s most prestigious authors meet for the first time on stage at the Goldoni Theater in Venice, interviewed by author and TV host Sveva Sagramola, for a talk about the man, his origins and the future that awaits him.   Useful information:    “A step away from the Man” Saturday, Oct. 29 […]

Art close up #2: the quartzite amygdala

11 October 2022

The quartzite amygdala (a hand axe so called by archaeologists because of its almond shape) is one of the earliest tools produced by the genus “Homo” and the most important in the history of its evolution.  The making of these tools for nearly a million years represents the earliest example of the transmission of learned […]

Art close up #1: The Ligabue Foundation Sigil

26 September 2022

The symbol of Ligabue Foundation is a sigil of the ancient Battrian civilization (3rd millennium B.C.), which embodies the tireless and enthusiastic spirit of the Foundation and has accompanied its missions, discoveries and publications. Distinguished in it is a winged figure, swaddled in a long, tight-fitting robe, with a raptor’s head and scythe-like wings, seated […]

The end of Power and Prestige in Paris

25 September 2022

Sunday, 25th September the great adventure of Power and Prestige at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris came to an end. This exhibition-event saw the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation work in collaboration with the world’s greatest museum institutions.    For the first time, a major exhibition was dedicated to the art of oceanic command clubs […]

Relevant scientific discovery for Power and Prestige

15 February 2022

A radiocarbon test carried out at a research laboratory in Mannheim and sponsored by the Foundation – an investigation never carried out before on a similar object – proves that a Kinikini from Fiji is much older than previously supposed and could even age between 350 and 580 years. The most accredited hypothesis is that […]

Ultimate starting date for “De Visi Mostruosi”: January 2023

30 November 2021

After postponements caused by Covid 19, the exhibition “De visi mostruosi”, dedicated to caricatures, has a new starting date: January 2023. It will start with Leonardo da Vinci’s “Testa di Vecchia” (Head of an old woman), from the Ligabue Collection, an ink drawing of a pug-faced profile of a woman.  Thanks to Italian and international lenders, it […]

A family exhibition

1 November 2021

The private visits to the Power and Prestige exhibition for the Ligabue Group staff and their families was a great success. There were over 120 participants for the sixty odd Ligabue staff in Venice. This means that nearly everyone visited it with at least a family member.  We organized also workshops for children who were attentive and […]

Histories before History

16 October 2021

“The Neanderthal are still among us” is the title of a talk held on 19th November at Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti, in Campo Santo Stefano, Venice. The speaker was Professor Giorgio Manzi, member of the scientific committee of the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation, anthropologist, paleontologist and professor at “La Sapienza” University in Rome. He explained that in our Homo […]

The Power and Prestige exhibition opened on 15th October

15 October 2021

«This is the first time ever that an exhibition has been mounted for war clubs». This fact was emphasized during the inauguration of the exhibition “Power and Prestige – The art of clubs in Oceania”, by both Inti Ligabue, chairman of the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation, and by Professor Steven Hooper, curator of the exhibition.  The […]

Massimo Casarin honorary vice-president of the Fondazione Ligabue

3 June 2021

Massimo Casarin is the new honorary vice-president of the Ligabue Foundation. Mr. Casarin was among the founders of the Centro Studi e Ricerche Ligabue at the end of the 1970’s and, later, of the Foundation. We want to sincerely thank Massimo Casarin for the work done in his previous role and wish him all the best in […]

Steven Hooper joins the Fondazione Giancarlo Ligabue’s Scientific Committee

2 June 2021

The Scientific Committee of the Fondazione Giancarlo Ligabue has extended with the arrival of Steven Hooper, Professor of visual arts at East Anglia University and director of the Sainsbury Research Unit in the same University. Professor Hooper is specialized in the arts of the Pacific Region and North America. His main interests cover the relationship between […]

Agreement between the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation and the Musée du quai Branly

1 June 2021

The Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation and the Musée du quai Branly Jacques Chirac, Paris, have signed a historical agreement for the co-production of the exhibition Power and Prestige, curated by Steven Hooper. The Paris museum displays 3.500 artefacts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Born from an idea of the former French President Jacques Chirac, […]

Negrita, a tribute to Tomaso Cavanna

19 October 2019

Negrita – Acoustic setA music tribute to Tomaso Cavanna Saturday 19th October, 9 pmChiesetta della MisericordiaCampo de l’Abazia, 3550 – Venice The Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation thanks the “Friends of the Foundation” who welcomed the invitation to support “Medicine Rocks” en masse and with great enthusiasm, this event that sold out in a few days.The proceeds […]

The power of images. Depictions of deities in ancient Anatolia

19 January 2019

Lecture “The power of images – Depictions of deities in ancient Anatolia”, by Stefano De Martino. Mrs. Annie Caubet, curator of “Idols” exhibition, will speak.

The Goddess and the Sovereign: the affirmation of the virile figure in Mesopotamian early states

22 November 2018

On the occasion of the exhibition “Idols, the power of images”, lecture by Professor Elena Rova of the Cà Foscari University of Venice: “The Goddess and the Sovereign: the affirmation of the virile figure in Mesopotamian early states”.   Thursday 22nd November 4.00 pm free guided tour 17.00 conference   For info and reservations: prenotazioni@www.fondazioneligabue.it

ArtNight. Teotihuacan Mask Party

23 June 2018

ArtNight Venice 2018 The art night enlightens Venice again! On the occasion of ArtNight 2018, the exhibition “The world that wasn’t there” awaits you for an unmissable “Teotihuacan Mask Party”.   Saturday, 23rd June 2018 from 6.00 to 10.30 pm. Free admission to the exhibition, welcome cocktail and live music. Guided tours starting at set […]

A game to lose your mind

13 May 2018

Sunday 13th May, on the occasion of the exhibition “The world that was not there”, we invite you to a day with plenty of activities.   At 11.00 am at the “Sala del Portego” in Palazzo Franchetti, at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti,  Prof. Davide Domenici will hold a lecture entitled “The […]

The taste of luxury and power. Cocoa in ancient Mesoamerica

2 March 2018

Lecture by Prof. Davide Domenici “The taste of luxury and power. Cocoa in ancient Mesoamerica” ​​organized on the occasion of the exhibition “The world that was not there”.   Palazzo Loredan, Campo Santo Stefano 2945, Venice Friday 2nd March 2018, 5.30 pm Free admission upon reservation, subject to availability A chocolate tasting will follow   […]

Life in deep time: the fossils of the Ligabue Collection

25 July 2017

The Municipality of Primiero-San Martino di Castrozza, in collaboration with the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation, will host the conference “Life in deep time: the fossils of the Ligabue Collection” held by Prof. Fabrizio Bizzarini, member of the scientific committee of the same Foundation.   Scopoli Palace, Tonadico – Primiero San Martino di Castrozza (TN) Tuesday 25 […]

Telerehabilitation

19 October 2016

Neurological diseases are a full-blown evil of our society because they affect not only the patient himself, but also the family next to him. One of the most important treatments is rehabilitation.The important novelty for the care and support of patients suffering from neurological diseases and their families is that on 19 October 2016 – at […]

Seminar for the Italian Culture in Kazakhstan

5 October 2016

The seminar – held at the beginning of October in the National Science Museum of Astana to crown the year of Italian culture, organized by Ambassador Ravagnan and in the presence of the Kazakh Minister of Culture and various archaeologists with whom the Ligabue Study and Research Center has collaborated in the past  – attracted a […]

Parcours des mondes

6 September 2016

On 6th September 2016, Inti Ligabue was in Paris to inaugurate as honorary president the 15th edition of “Parcours des mondes”, the most important International Exhibition of Primitive and Asian Arts. It’s the first time that this role, assigned in previous editions to personalities such as former French president Jacques Chirac and Sheikh Saoud Al […]

New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and Ligabue Foundation

1 September 2016

The Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation supported the research and updating mission led in the famous archaeological site of Piedras Negras in Guatemala by Peter Doyle scholar of the MET in New York. This is the first step towards consolidating a collaboration that looks very important in various fields of mutual interest.