Jenny Saville, a prominent British painter, is slated to present a major solo exhibition at the International Gallery of Modern Art at Ca' Pesaro in Venice during 2026. This significant event will coincide with the Venice Biennale and represents her first dedicated show in the historic Italian city. The exhibition underscores Saville's escalating institutional recognition, building on three prior museum showcases within the last 18 months, and her consistent strong performance in the art market.
A Monumental Return: Saville's Vision Unfolds in Venice
Venice Beckons: A Milestone Exhibition
The venerable International Gallery of Modern Art, housed within Venice's Ca' Pesaro, has formally announced a forthcoming large-scale exhibition dedicated to the artistry of Jenny Saville. Scheduled for 2026, this will be the British artist's debut solo presentation in the northern Italian metropolis, strategically timed to coincide with the prestigious Venice Biennale. The exhibition receives significant backing from Gagosian, the influential gallery representing Saville.
Ca' Pesaro: A Historic Canvas for Contemporary Art
Ca' Pesaro, a magnificent Baroque marble edifice transformed into an esteemed art museum, stands majestically on the Grand Canal of Venice. This historic venue provides a compelling backdrop for Saville's powerful works. The artist has consistently commanded strong interest in the market, notably setting a new auction record for a living female artist in 2018 with her 1992 self-portrait, Propped, which fetched £9.5 million at Sotheby's in London. Other notable sales include Shift, which sold for $9.5 million in 2016, and Juncture, which achieved $7.34 million recently.
Soaring Institutional Acclaim and Artistic Dialogue
In the past year, Saville's presence within institutional art circles has dramatically increased, marked by three major museum exhibitions at London's National Portrait Gallery, Vienna's Albertina, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Saville expressed her honor, stating, "Venice represents a place where art is an intrinsic part of everyday life and where the Biennale artists of today sit in dialogue with these great Venetian artworks. It's a great honour to have the opportunity to exhibit in Venice."
Curatorial Vision: Tracing a Career and Engaging with History
Curated by Elisabetta Barisoni, the Ca' Pesaro exhibition is set to run from March 21 to November 26, 2026. It will feature approximately 30 paintings, meticulously charting Saville's artistic evolution from her early career in the 1990s to her most recent creations. The museum emphasized that Saville's profound engagement with art history will be a central theme, with her monumental canvases entering a dialogue with the historical masters of Venice, thereby bridging contemporary painting with the city's rich artistic legacy. Her particular affinity for the Venetian School will be highlighted.
Echoes of Influence and New Creations
The permanent collection at Ca' Pesaro includes works by influential 20th-century abstract artists, such as Cy Twombly, whose practices have informed Saville's own. Barisoni noted that the exhibition signifies Saville's return to a city she cherishes, a place she has frequently visited to study the works of the old Venetian masters. The concluding section of the exhibition promises an exclusive reveal of a previously unseen series of works, created by Saville as a heartfelt tribute to the "lagoon city."
Timeless Relevance of the Old Masters
Reflecting on the enduring impact of historical art, Saville shared with The Art Newspaper earlier this year, "I think for all contemporary painters who look at Old Masters, the Old Masters are contemporary to them. You only have to go and see the Titian room at the National Gallery, it's just sensational. They come alive in every era, and they mean something different to each era of painters that are around at that time. So they're always relevant, they're just part of the dialogue you have with other people in painting."
