The Venice Biennale (Italian: Biennale di Venezia; also called in English the "Venice Biennial") is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years (in odd years) in Venice, Italy. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Venice Film Festival is part of it, as is the Venice Architecture Biennale, which is held in even years. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest Film festival in the world Mostra di Architettura di Venezia, the Architecture section of the Venice Biennale, was established in 1980, although architecture had been a part A dance section, the "International Festival of Contemporary Dance", was established in 1999. [1]
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History
The first Biennale was held in 1895; during the first editions, decorative arts played an important role. Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The event became more and more international in the first decades of the 20th century: from 1907 on, several countries started installing national pavilions at the exhibition. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year After World War I, the Biennale showed increasing interest in innovative traditions in modern art. Between the two World Wars, many important modern artists had their work exhibited there. This is a list of modern artists: important artists who have played a role in the history of Modern art, dating from the late 19th century until (approximately the
In 1930, control of the Biennale passed from the Venice city council to the national Fascist government. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology In the 1930s, several new sections of the event were established: the Music Festival in 1930, the International Film Festival in 1932 and the Theatre Festival in 1934. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. From 1938, Grand Prizes were awarded in the art exhibition section. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
After a six-year break during World War II, the Biennale was resumed in 1948 with renewed attention to avant-garde movements in European, and later worldwide, movements in contemporary art. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Avant-garde (avɑ̃gaʁd in French) means "advance guard" or "vanguard Abstract expressionism was introduced in the 1950s, pop art in the 1960s. Abstract expressionism was an American post– World War II Art movement. Pop Art is a visual Art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in parallel in the late 1950s in the United States. From 1948 to 1972, Italian architect Carlo Scarpa did a series of remarkable interventions in the Biennales exhibition spaces. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Carlo Scarpa ( June 2, 1906 - 1978 was an Italian Designer with a profound understanding of materials landscape and the history of Venetian
The protests of 1968 marked a crisis for the Biennale; the Grand Prizes were abandoned and more emphasis went to thematic exhibitions instead of monographic ones. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The 1974 edition was entirely dedicated to Chile, as a major cultural protest against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (November New prizes - Golden Lions, like the awards for the Venice Film Festival - were installed; postmodern art entered the scene with increasingly varied and popular exhibitions. The Leone d’Oro ('Golden Lion' is the highest prize given to a film at the Biennale Venice Film Festival. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest Film festival in the world Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism
In 1980 Achille Bonito Oliva and Harald Szeemann introduced "Aperto", a section of the exhibition designed to explore emerging art. Achille Bonito Oliva, ( November 4, 1939) is a highly recognized and respected Italian contemporary Harald Szeemann ( June 11 1933 in Bern – February 18 2005 in Tegna, Ticino) was a Swiss Curator Italian art historian Giovanni Carandente directed the 1988 and 1990 editions. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) A three-year gap was left afterwards to make sure that the 1995 edition would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Biennale. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The 1993 edition was directed by Achille Bonito Oliva while Jean Clair and Germano Celant served as directors in 1995 and 1997 respectively. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Jean Clair (real name Gérard Régnier is an essayist and art historian and a member of the French Academy. Germano Celant ( Genoa, 1940) is an Italian writer and Curator who coined the term " Arte Povera " (poor art in 1967 and Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar
In 1999 and 2001, Harald Szeemann directed two editions in a row (48th & 49th) bringing in a larger representation of artists from Asia and Eastern Europe and more young artist than usual and expanded the show into several newly restored spaces of the Arsenale.
The 50th edition, directed by Francesco Bonami, had a record number of seven co-curators involved, including Hans Ulrich Obrist, Catherine David, Igor Zabel, Hou Hanru and Massimiliano Gioni. Hans Ulrich Obrist (Zurich Switzerland 1968 is a Swiss curator and art critic
The 51st edition of the Biennale opened in June 2005, curated, for the first time by two women, Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rosa Martinez is the Spanish curator of the Vienna, Santa Fe Moscow, Istanbul Biennales De Corral organized "The Experience of Art" which included 41 artists, from past masters to younger figures. Rosa Martinez took over the Arsenale with "Always a Little Further. Rosa Martinez is the Spanish curator of the Vienna, Santa Fe Moscow, Istanbul Biennales " Drawing on "the myth of the romantic traveler" her exhibition involved 49 artists, ranging from the elegant to the profane.
At the 51st Biennale, American artist Barbara Kruger was awarded with the "Golden Lion" award for lifetime achievement. Barbara Kruger (born 1945 is an American conceptual artist She was born in Newark New Jersey and left there in 1964 to attend Syracuse University.
In 2007, Robert Storr became the first director from the United States to curate the 52nd edition of the Biennale entitled Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Robert Storr is an American Curator, Academic, Critic, and painter. Art in the Present Tense. This year, Mexico made its official debut at the Biennale with an exhibition by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at the Van Axel palace.
Swedish curator Daniel Birnbaum has been appointed artistic director for the 2009 edition. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories.
Format
The formal Biennale is based at a park the Giardini that houses 30 permanent national pavilions. The assignment of the permanent pavilions was largely dictated by the international politics of the 1930s and the Cold War. There is no single format to how each country manages their pavilion. The pavilion for Great Britain is always managed by the British Council while the United States assigns the responsibility to a public gallery. The British Council is a Public Body of the United Kingdom Government which specialises in educational and development opportunities The Giardini includes a large exhibition hall that houses a themed exhibition curated by the Biennale's director.
The Aperto began as a fringe event for younger artists and artists of a national origin not represented by the permanent national pavilions. This is usually staged in the Arsenale and has become part of the formal biennale programme. In 1995 there was no Aperto so a number of participating countries hired venues to show exhibitions of emerging artists.
Notes
External links
- Venice Biennale website
- Satellite image of the Biennale buildings from Google Maps
- Venice Biennale 2005 survey
- Venice Biennale 2007 review
- Artefacta