Founded in 1750, the Academy of Fine Arts was once the place where young aspiring artists learned painting, sculpture and architecture. When the Venetian Republic fell to Napoleon in 1797, many churches were looted or destroyed; sadly, a great number of paintings were either stolen, ruined, or sold in the general chaos. It was then that the Accademia art gallery became a true stronghold for the preservation of many paintings in the city. Moreover, a decision was taken to privilege those works by Venetian painters from 1300 to 1700, and today, in fact, the Galleries exhibit masterpieces by the likes of Bellini, Giorgione, Tiziano, Tintoretto, Carpaccio, Veronese, Tiepolo and many others.
