From the British Museum to one of Europe’s great print empires

THE STORY ↓
THE WORKSHOPS ↓ 

This is one of Vicenza’s strongest detours for anyone interested in prints, books, paper, graphic design or the history of images.  A few minutes from Palladio’s wooden bridge, Palazzo Sturm rises directly above the Brenta, with more than seventy rooms, frescoed interiors and a belvedere looking across the river and the Ponte degli Alpini. Downstairs is one of Bassano’s best international stories. For almost two centuries, the Remondini family built one of Europe’s most extensive publishing and printing businesses, with editions and prints now held by institutions including the British Museum. The museum brings together books, decorated papers, popular prints, games, optical views and original printing material, alongside a collection of more than 8,500 prints with works by masters including Mantegna, Dürer and Jacques Callot.

FROM VICENZA TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM The international trail continues outside Italy. The British Museum preserves works published by Remondini in Bassano, including eighteenth century prints produced for the firm.One British Museum record even connects the Remondini name with imagery in the manner of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, the Renaissance artist famous for faces assembled from fruit and vegetables.

THE PALAZZO IS HALF THE REASON TO COME Palazzo Sturm was built in the mid eighteenth century for silk merchant and industrialist Vincenzo Ferrari. Architect Daniello Bernardi arranged more than seventy rooms across seven levels, while Giorgio Anselmi painted mythological and allegorical decorations in 1765.

ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREAT DÜRER COLLECTIONS The museum holds 8,500 graphic works, including 214 prints by Albrecht Dürer. The Dürer group consists of 123 woodcuts and 91 engravings and has been described by the museum, together with the Albertina collection in Vienna, as one of the most important and complete in the world.

PAPER BEFORE PINTEREST Decorated paper is another part of the story. The Remondini produced printed sheets for books, boxes, interiors and everyday objects, alongside images designed to travel cheaply and widely. For people interested in stationery, paper craft, bookbinding and surface design, this makes the museum much broader than a conventional print collection.

TWO MUSEUMS IN ONE PALAZZO The Remondini Print Museum occupies the ground floor. The same building also houses the Giuseppe Roi Ceramics Museum, following the ceramics history of Bassano and the wider Vicenza area from the sixteenth century onwards. 

? THE WORKSHOP  AT PALAZZO STURM ↓
Palazzo Sturm and the Musei Civici periodically organise hands-on workshops connected to printmaking, typography, decorated paper, ceramics, illustration and graphic design.  Here below are examples from previous editions. ↓

Typographic Composition Tied directly to the legacy of the Remondini family, whose printing business made Bassano an important European centre for books, prints, decorated papers and popular imagery.
The Experience: A three-hour typographic composition workshop led by Stamperia Stenghele, combined with a visit to the Remondini Print Museum.

Decorated Paper Decorated papers were an important part of Remondini production and international trade.
The Experience: A dedicated workshop led by Alessandro Nocentini, combined with a visit to the Remondini Museum and focused on the tradition of decorated paper.

 Etching & Soft-Ground The Experience: A workshop with Stamperia d’Arte Busato devoted to acquaforte and cera molle, or etching and soft-ground techniques, together with a visit to the Remondini collection.

Design Your Poster · Riccardo Guasco A past Musei Civici masterclass conceived and led by internationally known illustrator Riccardo Guasco.  
The Experience: Participants explored the visual synthesis of advertising posters through analogue or digital collage, dismantling and reconstructing landscapes through geometric forms, flat colours and dynamic compositions before creating their own poster.

Clay Modelling & Ceramic Techniques
Palazzo Sturm has also hosted practical programmes connected to the Giuseppe Roi Ceramics Museum.
◼️ Con-creta-mente:
A clay-modelling workshop preceded by a short visit to the ceramics collection, introducing manipulation, textures, impressions, incisions and decorative techniques. This format was designed for children and young people.
◼️Hands in… a Cup:
A children’s ceramics workshop using slab and colombino, or coiling, techniques to make and customise a clay cup.

FUTURE WORKSHOPS & BOOKING Workshop subjects, tutors, prices, age limits and capacity change from one programme to another. For the next Palazzo Sturm and Musei Civici workshops, contact the museum directly:
T. +39 0424 519940 ; palazzo.sturm@comune.bassano.vi.it