10/11/2010
Ruskin and Venice, November 10 2010
In 1853 John Ruskin's poetic description of the façade of St Mark's became one of the celebrated passages in his masterpiece, The Stones of Venice. When he returned to the city in 1876, however, he discovered that the city's most famous jewel had become tarnished, and was threatened by an unsympathetic restoration. He joined forces with a young Venetian, Count Alvise Zorzi, and together they fought a local campaign that turned the tide against the restoration, even before William Morris and the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings set off an international protest.
Robert Hewison, author of Ruskin on Venice: "The Paradise of Cities", tells the story of Ruskin's battle for St Mark's, and considers some of the principles of restoration that drove it.
Venue
The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN
Time
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Tickets will become available soon.