The Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti stems from the Reale Istituto Nazionale, created by Napoleon for the Kingdom of Italy in 1810.
The current name was given in 1838 by Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria, when Venetia was under Austrian Government. In 1866, after the annexation of Venetia to Kingdom of Italy, the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti was recognized as one of the most prestigious Italian Academies. Since 1838, the activity of Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti run uninterruptedly till now days.
The Institute accounts for 280 fellows, divided in two Classes (Class of Sciences and Class of Humanities); each Class is made of fellows (soci effettivi), corresponding fellows (soci corrispondenti), foreign fellows (soci stranieri) and honorary fellows (soci onorari). Fellows are formally appointed by the Ministry of Cultural Affaires after been elected by the Assembly of the soci effettivi.
The Institute's activities include monthly academic meetings (adunanze), where fellows present their studies to be published on the magazine «Atti dell'Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti». The Institute also regularly promotes meetings, conferences and seminars on Sciences, Humanities and Art.
The Institute publishes and prints books (presently the catalogue accounts over 100 titles). Particular attention is devoted to diffusion of culture by audiovisual media, information technology and internet communications (www.istitutoveneto.it).The Institute owns a rich library (over 300.000 volumes) and several archives, including that of Luigi Luzzatti, Italian prime minister in 1911.