Gipsoteca canoviana, Art museum and plaster cast gallery in Possagno, Italy.
Gipsoteca canoviana is a museum complex in Possagno comprising Canova's birthplace, a Neoclassical gallery space, and a modern addition designed by Carlo Scarpa. The building displays plaster models, terracotta sketches, and rooms furnished with original pieces that reflect the artist's life and working environment.
Giovanni Battista Sartori founded the museum in 1832 to preserve the works of Antonio Canova, the foremost Neoclassical sculptor of the 18th century. The institution emerged to safeguard an artistic legacy that had reshaped European sculpture through Canova's influence and innovation.
The collection reflects how Canova shaped artistic practice across Europe, with his plaster casts showing the methods behind Neoclassical sculpture that influenced generations of artists. Visitors encounter the working methods and creative choices that made this sculptor a reference point for his peers and successors.
The complex can be explored through multiple sections, ranging from private quarters with original furnishings to barrel-vaulted galleries displaying numerous sculptural works. Plan time to move through all areas, as each section contributes to understanding the artist's complete body of work and creative process.
A stone pine tree planted by Canova himself in 1799 still grows in the museum gardens, creating a living link between the artist's era and visitors today. This tree stands as a tangible reminder of the artist's presence and the passage of time at this location.
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