ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Italian Cultural Institute and the Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the auction house Hampel, are presenting Italian Masters in Abu Dhabi, an exhibition dedicated to the timeless allure of Italian cities as seen through the eyes of great masters between the 18th and 19th centuries.
From January 30 to February 13, 2026, visitors will be invited on an ideal journey through Venice, Rome and other celebrated urban landscapes, showcased through a selection of works that portray Italy as a privileged destination in the European imagination. At the heart of the exhibition lies the tradition of the veduta, a form of painting that is both documentary and poetic, capable of depicting architecture, light, everyday life and monumental perspectives with extraordinary precision.
During the era of the Grand Tour, between the 18th and 19th centuries, travel to Italy was a fundamental part of the cultural education of European aristocrats, artists and intellectuals. Vedute thus became visual “souvenirs” of the journey—images to be collected, exchanged and preserved as symbols of knowledge and refined taste.
The exhibition brings together works by some of the most renowned and beloved artists of veduta painting, including Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, Giovanni Paolo Panini, Vanvitelli, Ippolito Caffi and Thomas Patch, alongside other leading figures of the 18th- and 19th-century artistic scene. The result is an accessible and engaging narrative in which Italian cities are transformed into stages of history, elegance and wonder.
Italian Masters in Abu Dhabi is organised by the Italian Cultural Institute in Abu Dhabi, the Embassy of Italy in the UAE and Hampel—one of Europe’s leading auction houses, based in Munich and widely recognised for the quality of its selections and its commitment to art historical research.
The exhibition aims to bring audiences in the Emirates and the international community of Abu Dhabi closer to an iconic chapter of European art, while highlighting Italy’s enduring ability to inspire the gaze of travelers, both past and present.
– Photo: Press Office of the Italian Cultural Institute of Abu Dhabi –
(ITALPRESS).
