Andrea Previtali
Discepolo di Giovanni Bellini

Museo Villa Bassi Rathgeb announces a new exhibition curated by Raffaele Campion and Barbara Maria Savy. Promoted and produced by the Municipality of Abano Terme, in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padua and the “Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Padova, Treviso e Belluno”, the exhibition forms part of the exhibition programme launched by the museum in 2024, dedicated to enhancing its permanent collections through research and in-depth study projects.

Born in Valle Imagna, Andrea Previtali moved to Venice at a very young age, where he entered the workshop of Giovanni Bellini, one of the great masters of the Venetian Renaissance. As early as 1502, he proudly described himself as “Ioanis Bellini dissipulus”, as attested by the Madonna and Child with Donor, now housed at the Musei Civici di Padova and featured in the exhibition.

His oeuvre — characterised by Madonnas, Sacra Conversazione paintings, portraits, and Arcadian-style landscapes — reveals not only the influence of Bellini, but also that of artists such as Vittore Carpaccio, Giorgione, and Albrecht Dürer. Upon returning to Bergamo, Previtali also developed a style informed by the innovations introduced by Lorenzo Lotto.

At the heart of the exhibition is the relationship between the artist and the practice of the Renaissance workshop, explored through a display that places Previtali’s works in dialogue with those of other painters active between Venice, Bergamo, and Brescia, including Francesco Bissolo, Girolamo da Santacroce, Palma il Vecchio, and Giovanni Busi.

The project was conceived in close connection with the Bassi Rathgeb Collection, donated to the Comune di Abano Terme between 1972 and 1980, which preserves important works from the Brescian and Bergamasque schools, including a panel painting by Previtali depicting a bishop saint. Scholar and collector Roberto Bassi Rathgeb devoted numerous studies to the artist, contributing significantly to his critical rediscovery.

A highlight of exceptional importance will be the reunification of the panel from the Bassi Rathgeb Collection with the remaining two wings of an original triptych from the Church of the Annunziata, dating from around 1515. Thanks to the collaboration with the Diocese of Bergamo, the exhibition will bring together the three panels, offering visitors the rare opportunity to experience the work in its original integrity.

Alongside sacred painting, the exhibition also explores Renaissance portraiture, featuring works such as the portrait from the Accademia dei Concordi, broadening the perspective on the many facets of Previtali’s painting.

The exhibition route will also include a special focus on the artistic techniques of Renaissance workshops, with both physical and digital materials designed to guide visitors through the processes involved in the creation of the artworks.

Cover: Andrea Previtali, Madonna and Child with Donor, 1502, Musei Civici di Padova © Su concessione del Comune di Padova – Settore Cultura, Turismo, Musei e Biblioteche

Curated by Raffaele Campion, Barbara Maria Savy

Scientific Committee Raffaele Campion, Elisabetta Gastaldi, Marta Mazza, Antonio Carlo Mazzotta, Paolo Plebani, Barbara Maria Savy, Alessia Vedova

Promoted and produced by Municipality of Abano Terme with Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padua

In collaboration with Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Padova, Treviso e Belluno and Museo Bagatti Valsecchi

With the patronage of Veneto Region and University of Padua

With the contribution of Lions Club Abano Terme Gaspara Stampa, Rotary Club Abano Montegrotto Terme Euganee, A.F. Energia Srl

Press office and communication Lara Facco P&C

Catalog Sagep Editori available in the museum bookshop