Venetian Days: Henry James and Friends on the Grand Canal

Venice by the end of the 19th century had lost much of the glory it once had known. Crumbling palazzi, a bad economy and an overall sense of decay permeated the city. 

New writings published on the long-forgotten Venetian Renaissance painters and artists brought a new stream of visitors to the city including Henry James, John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler among others. American expatriate art connoisseurs such as Daniel and Ariana Curtis and the great Isabella Stewart Gardner all made Venice home for a time. 

Much of the activity centered around the majestic Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal which the Curtises bought, becoming the scene of much entertaining and socializing among artists. 

This episode takes a look at what the city meant to James on his many visits since his first in 1869 to his last in 1907. In addition, the show considers what it meant to other artists and how they interpreted it amidst a fascinating, eccentric, educated community of people flowing into the city. 

We will also take a look at the two great works in which James captured the city and this community, The Aspern Papers (1888) and The Wings of the Dove (1902).  

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