Ancona Civic Picture Gallery, known as the "Francesco Podesti" was established by the Municipality of Ancona in 1884. Many of its works were donated by renowned artists; other came from abandoned churches or were the property of the Municipality itself and some were privately donated.
It was first established in a part of the ex-convent of San Domenico and subsequently in the ex-convent of San Francesco alle Scale. When it was given back to the Municipality in 1958 it was placed in the Palazzo degli Anziani and in 1974 it was again transferred to Palazzo Bosdari, to which a new building, Palazzo Bonomini, has been recently added. Palazzo Bosdari originates from a 16th century Medieval structure, which was rebuilt at various times during the 17th and 18th centuries, to which the decorations on the first floor and the main residential floor belong.
The renovation works have made it possible to greatly expand the exhibition space and have highlighted a portion of the walls and the base of a tower embedded in the basement of Bosdari Palace.
The gallery is dedicated to the painter Francesco Podesti (1800-1895) from Ancona , who promoted the institution between 1880 and 1888 by donating many of his works, mainly cartoons and sketches. The collection, one of the most important of the Marche region, boasts many masterpieces among which the wonderful "Pala Gozzi" by Tiziano Vecellio, the first authentic work of the Venetian master deserves to be mentioned, together with the "Madonna with Child" by Carlo Crivelli, the "Holy Conversation" , also known as the "Alabarda's Altarpiece" by Lorenzo Lotto, and works by Olivuccio of Ceccarello, Sebastiano del Piombo, Andrea Lilli, Guercino, Carlo Maratta, Francesco Podesti and many others.
The museum also houses an important collection of modern art with works by Anselmo Bucci, Corrado Cagli, Edgardo Mannucci, Piero Dorazio, Maria Lai, Ivo Pannaggi, Umberto Fish, Valeriano Trubbiani, Enzo Cucchi and other artists linked in large part to the history of the prestigious Marche Region award. In the new layout it is also a section dedicated to temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists. Thanks to the recovery of Palazzo Bonomini and to the structural adjustment of Palazzo Bosdari it was possible to overcome architectural barriers, thus making the museum accessible to everybody.
INFO:
Address: Palazzo Bosdari - Via C. Pizzecolli, 17 - ANCONA (AN)
Tel .: + 39 071.2225047
Fax: + 39 071.2225047
Email: museicivici.ancona@gmail.com
Website:Pinacoteca Comunale “F. Podesti” – Cultura (comuneancona.it)