The Accademia di Belle Arti, also known as the Accademia, represents the School of Fine Arts in Venice. The creations of its students were the starting point for the creation of the Accademia Gallery (Gallerie dell'Accademia), one of the most important Italian art collections and a prominent tourist attraction in Venice.

Located on the south bank of the Grand Canal, the Accademia gives its name to one of the four bridges that cross this canal, known as the Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell'Accademia).

The history of the Accademia dates back to 1750, when the Venetian Republic decided to establish an academy for painters and sculptors. Giovanni Battista Piazzetta was charged with leading this initiative, with the facilities located in the Fondaco della Flour, today known as the Harbour Master's Office. From then on, the first works made by the students of the academy began to be collected.

During the Napoleonic occupation in 1807, it was decided to move the art school and the works to a more suitable location. The premises of the Scuola della Carità, the church of Santa Maria della Carità and the former convent of the Lateran Canons were selected. These buildings were adapted for teaching and museum use by the architect Giovanni Antonio Selva.

Over time, the Accademia Gallery was enriched with numerous works from suppressed churches and convents, as well as from private collections. Between 1816 and 1856, the Molin, Contarini, Renier and Manfrin collections were added, adding masterpieces of Italian art to the gallery. In addition, works from Austria were added after the Treaty of San Germano in 1919, as well as acquisitions made by the Italian State.

The Accademia Gallery exhibits masterpieces of Venetian painting up to the 18th century, arranged chronologically although occasionally presented according to similar themes. Among the outstanding artists that can be found in the collection are Gentile Bellini, Giovanni Bellini, Sebastiano del Piombo, Tintoretto, Titian and many more.

An interesting curiosity is that, although the Gallery is now composed as a single collection, its plural name, Gallerie dell'Accademia, originated because in its early days it comprised two sections: one dedicated to painting and the other to sculpture and plaster casts. Despite the unification of these sections, the plural name has endured.