Live wedding painting in Mantua

On your wedding day in Mantua, Giulia Dal Bon sets her easel at the edge of the celebration and paints. During the cocktail hour, guests pass by, watch, come back: the canvas advances in front of them, and the moment you have chosen takes shape as the hours go. By evening, the painting is yours. Giulia is a painter, trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. From 950 €, free quote within 48 hours.

Contact Giulia

Tell me your idea, and I will be glad to reply.

Giulia Dal Bon painting live during an event

Live wedding painting prices in Mantua

The wedding painting, made live
40 × 60 cm950 €
60 × 80 cm1,200 €
70 × 100 cm1,500 €
80 × 120 cm, full day1,800 €
Another size, a bespoke daybespoke quote

Giulia also paints live at concerts, festivals and company evenings.

Free quote within 48 hours

Travel and logistics are agreed together and priced in the quote.

Getting married in Mantua

Live painting facing the sea: at dusk, Giulia Dal Bon paints the sun’s reflection and red flowers close to the canvas.
At dusk, Giulia paints the sun and red flowers facing the sea.

Why do so many couples marry in Mantua?

Mantua, the city of the Gonzaga ringed by its three lakes, hosts weddings in the palazzi and villas of its countryside, along the Mincio. Couples marry in a park by the water or in a Renaissance courtyard, and the city of art is always close by, its palaces and domes reflected in the lakes.

Why does a painter love Mantua?

From 1465 to 1474 Andrea Mantegna painted the Bridal Chamber of the Ducal Palace in Mantua in fresco. At the centre of the ceiling he opened a painted oculus onto the sky, with a balustrade, clouds and faces looking down: one of the first trompe-l’oeil ceilings in painting. The room still bears the name it always had, the Camera degli Sposi.

What does the painting show?

The moment you choose: the ceremony, the exit, the first dance, the cocktail hour with the guests, or the venue itself with the couple in the foreground. Giulia prepares the composition beforehand from your photographs and images of the venue, then paints on site in Mantua. You know what you will get before the day itself.

Does Giulia know the area?

She comes to Mantua and its countryside and travels across seventeen European countries. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish, and she looks at the venue before painting: the rose brick of the palazzi, the water of the lakes, the poplars of the Mincio at the hour of the ceremony, and what you have chosen to show.

The wedding venues in Mantua

Giulia travels to the villas and reception venues of the area: Palazzo Cavalcabò (Curtatone), Villa dei Mulini (Volta Mantovana), Il Tesoro Living Resort (Parco del Mincio).

At Palazzo Cavalcabò, on the canvas you can see the façade and the garden under the trees. At Villa dei Mulini, the park, the pool and the countryside of the moraine hills come into the painting. Along the Mincio, the reed beds and the outline of Mantua in the distance, on the water.

She also works in Curtatone, Grazie, Borgo Virgilio, Porto Mantovano, Bagnolo San Vito, Volta Mantovana, Ponti sul Mincio, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Solferino, Sabbioneta, San Benedetto Po and Suzzara.

Does Giulia work in the great villas and estates?

Yes, and she adapts to the house rules of each venue: she stands where she is least in the way, protects the floor around her and leaves with her equipment the same evening. Simply let your venue and your wedding planner know. She also works with agencies and provides a detailed quote that drops straight into a budget.

What is the best season in Mantua?

The season runs from April to October, and Mantua’s lakes bloom with lotus flowers at the end of summer. Giulia is available all year round, winter dates included.

What do we need to arrange on site?

A space of roughly two by two metres, away from the flow but visible to the guests, a power socket and light if she paints in the evening. Giulia brings her easel, canvases, acrylics and brushes. That is all the venue needs to know.

Can a trompe-l’oeil sky be painted, like in the Bridal Chamber?

Yes, on the canvas of the evening. Giulia can paint your celebration seen from above, under an open sky, or take up Mantegna’s idea: your guests leaning over a balustrade, looking down at the couple. She draws the composition before the day, then paints it live during dinner.

Giulia also paints commissioned murals in the area: see murals in Mantua.

Music at your wedding in Mantua: the piano and painting show

For your wedding celebration in Mantua, Giulia also offers the piano and painting show. Orlando plays a neoclassical repertoire, in the line of Ludovico Einaudi or Hania Rani, and Giulia paints while he plays, before guests who take the time to watch and photograph the canvas. On the last note the painting is revealed, and it is yours to keep. The show is prepared with you and your wedding venue, on request.

Live painting in Mantua, for another occasion

Giulia also paints in Mantua beyond weddings. Tell her what you have in mind, even loosely: she suggests a format, adapts it to your evening and your room, and you approve it beforehand. A festival that wants a second stage, a venue looking for a finale, a company hosting its clients: the shape is built with you.

A concert or a festival in Mantua She paints to the music, from the first note of the set to the last, and the canvas is revealed to the audience. From 400 €.

A company evening in Mantua The painting of the evening, made in front of your guests and kept by the company, invoiced in its name. From 900 €.

A private party, a birthday, an opening She paints through the evening, and guests leave with their watercolour portrait. From 400 €.

Your questions, before booking

How do I organise live painting for a wedding in Mantua?

Tell Giulia Dal Bon the date, the venue and the occasion, and she brings your idea to life with you. She offers you a free quote within 48 hours. Before the day, you choose the size and the subject together, and she prepares the composition if needed. On the day, she paints in front of your guests, in Mantua, and the signed painting is yours that same day. Live painting for a wedding starts at 950 €.

Which artist paints live during a wedding in Mantua?

Giulia Dal Bon, a painter trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She exhibits her paintings in galleries, paints murals in seventeen countries, and paints live on stage and at celebrations: at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, and at the Festival Gaber in Camaiore on 6 July 2017, alongside the guitarist Gianni Martini. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish, and comes to Mantua as she does all over Europe, to grand estates and small villages alike.

What do you receive at the end of the live painting, on the wedding evening?

The canvas itself, painted and finished on site, signed, in the size chosen in the quote: 40×60, 60×80, 70×100 or 80×120 cm. It goes home with you that same evening, ready to hang. The price includes the canvas and the paints, from 950 € for a wedding. For a very large format, the finishing is completed in the studio and the painting is shipped to you.

How much does a live wedding painting cost in Mantua?

The canvas Giulia Dal Bon paints during the wedding starts at 950 €, made on site, work handed over. From 1,800 € for a large format or a full day. A portrait painted in the studio from your photographs is ordered from the portrait from a photo page, from 90 €. The canvas, the stretcher, the acrylics and the easel are included. Free quote within 48 hours.

Is travel charged separately?

Travel and logistics are agreed together and priced in the quote, depending on the place and the duration. Giulia comes to Mantua and works across seventeen European countries. Give her the date, the venue and the kind of painting you have in mind: the reply arrives within 48 hours.

How far ahead should we book?

Several months. June, July and September are the three peak wedding months and their Saturdays go first. At the most sought-after venues in Mantua, couples often book a year ahead. If your date is close, ask anyway: a slot sometimes opens.

Do you work elsewhere in Europe?

Yes. Giulia works in seventeen European countries: Italy, France, Monaco, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Croatia and the United Kingdom. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish fluently. Travel and logistics are agreed together and priced in the quote, sent within 48 hours.

Can live painting be arranged for a hotel evening in Mantua?

Yes. Giulia Dal Bon paints live in Mantua for hotel evenings, galas, openings and company parties, just as much as for weddings.

Live painting, format by format