Casanova - a complex figure of the 18th century. Social climber who grew up in poverty with busy parents. He worked his way up the ranks. One of the most extreme libertines of the time, he seduced people, men, women, but an intellectual mind. 

A foremost traveler of his time, a great adventurer and an important writer who met everyone, knew everything and saw everything. Compared to our time he will be that annoying Facebook friend who posts every step of his life. Born in Venice, Italy in 1725, he was raised in this most splendid and storied of cities and returned to it again and again. To understand Casanova, you need to explore the city that shaped him. The seat of its own republic and once at the center of a mighty trading empire, Venice was, by the 18th century, no longer a major political power. It had become a “city of pleasure,” where wealthy Europeans flocked to enjoy theater, lavish balls, and the famous carnival.
 In his book "The story of my life" Casanova describes how life was in social circles during 18th century.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) invites audiences to journey into the world of eighteenth-century Europe  with one of its most colorful characters, Giacomo Casanova (Italian, 1725─1798), as guide. Casanova was considered by his own contemporaries to be a witty conversationalist, autobiographer, gambler, spy, and one of the greatest travelers of all time.

The show is a collaboration between three major institutions, The Met, The Getty Museum and Louvre. More than 200 objects displayed at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco. A grand tour of Europe in the 18th Century culturally marked as Rococo or or "Late Baroque",  an exuberantly decorative 18th century European style.

Text Juliet Belkin

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