Venice is already a city that seems to come straight out of a dream, but every two years it is transformed into an explosion of creativity, provocation and fiery debate: this is the Art Biennale, the event that transforms Venice into the world capital of contemporary art.

If you have ever wondered what this Biennale is all about, why all artists want to be there and why every edition triggers at least one memorable controversy, you have come to the right place.

Let’s dive into this journey together through history, brilliant artists, scandals and curiosities.

WHAT IS THE VENICE BIENNALE

It all began in 1895, when Venice decided to organise a major international art exhibition to attract visitors and promote the talent of the time. That first edition was a resounding success, so much so that it became a regular event every two years (hence the name ‘Biennale’).

Over time, the event grows and transforms: National Pavilions are born, each country has its own space to exhibit the best of its art scene, and the Biennale becomes a global platform to discover the avant-garde and discover the art of the future.

Today, the Biennale is not just about art: it also includes cinema (Mostra del Cinema), theatre, music, dance and architecture, making Venice the beating heart of international culture.

The artists who have made history at the Biennale

The Venice Biennale has always played a central role in the evolution of contemporary art, offering a privileged stage to artists destined to revolutionise the international cultural scene.
Some editions, however, have marked crucial moments in the history of art, launching new trends, rediscovering giants of the past or igniting unforgettable debates.

The 1948 Exhibition – The Rebirth of Art after the War

After the forced hiatus of the Second World War, the 1948 Biennale represented a turning point for the art world. Two events marked this edition:

1. Pablo Picasso’s retrospective, with 19 paintings, his first appearance at the Biennale at the age of 67, presented by Renato Guttuso.
2. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, with 136 works by 73 artists, curated by Giulio Carlo Argan, who brought the best of the international avant-garde to Venice, from Cubism to Surrealism.

That year it was possible to admire the works of Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Joan Miró and Piet Mondrian, turning the Biennale into the place where the future of art was discussed.

Only 15 countries participated in this edition, as many nations were still recovering from the Second World War.
Empty national pavilions were reused for special exhibitions: the German pavilion hosted an extraordinary exhibition on Impressionism, with works by Monet, Sisley, Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin and Van Gogh, while the Greek pavilion housed the Guggenheim collection.

Jackson Pollock (1950) – Art becomes Action

In 1950, the Biennale hosted the works of Jackson Pollock, the pioneer of Action Painting, for the first time.
His huge canvases, made with splashes of colour thrown directly onto the surface, disrupted the traditional concept of painting and consecrated New York as the new centre of world art.
His success contributed to the rise ofAbstract Expressionism, laying the foundation for contemporary art as we know it today.

Lucio Fontana (1966) – Art opens up to space

In 1966, Lucio Fontana brought his famous slashed canvases to the Biennale, revolutionising the concept of painting.
With his spatialism, Fontana did not merely paint, but intervened directly on the surface of the canvas with cuts and holes, transforming it into a three-dimensional object. His work was one of the most innovative at the Biennale, anticipating theconceptual art and spatial research of the following decade.

The United States in the spotlight in 1988 – Jasper Johns and Barbara Bloom

The 1988 edition, entitled The Place of the Artists, established the United States as one of the Biennale’s leading nations. The Golden Lion went to Jasper Johns, a key figure in Neo-Dada and Pop Art, who presented his first major solo exhibition in Europe.
The Aperto section, dedicated to young artists, instead awarded Barbara Bloom, confirming the Biennale as a springboard for new talent.

Marina Abramović (1997) – The Body as Extreme Art

In 1997, Marina Abramović shocked the public with her performance Balkan Baroque.
Sitting in a bare room, bathed in the stench of blood and carcasses, the Serbian artist cleaned animal bones for hours, in a repetitive and harrowing action. The work was a denunciation of the war in the Balkans, but also a collective purification ritual.
For this performance, Abramović won the Golden Lion for Best Artist, definitively entering the Biennale’s history.

Ai Weiwei (2013) – Art as political protest

The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has always used the Biennale to bring messages of political denunciation.
In 2013, he presented an installation reflecting on the conditions of political prisoners and the consequences of globalisation in China. His work once again turned art into activism, showing how the Biennale is also an arena for social and political debate.

Each edition of the Biennale unveils new talent and redefines the boundaries of art. Who will be the next artist to make their mark? We will find out at the next Biennale!

The controversy: why is the Biennale always controversial?

If you think art is just hanging pictures and static sculptures, the Venice Biennale will change your mind.
Here, every edition brings with it at least one work that divides public and critics.
Here are a few examples.

Maurizio Cattelan and the Hanging Children (1999) – Three dummies of children hanging from a tree: a powerful and disturbing work that creates immediate scandal.

Santiago Sierra and his social denunciation (2003) – He pays underpaid immigrants to stand still and motionless inside boxes: the work criticises the world of work, but triggers enormous controversy.

Russia’s presence-absence in 2022 – After the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Pavilion remains closed, turning the Biennale into an international political scene. Walking past the closed Pavilion reminds us that outside the Biennale, history is being fulfilled and questions us about the fate of humanity.

Art here is not just beautiful to look at: it is provocation, denunciation, reflection. And this, of course, angers many.

Interesting facts about the Venice Biennale

The Golden Lion

is the most coveted award of the Biennale and has made famous artists who were previously almost unknown.

The ItalianPavilion was not always present: for years, Italy did not have a fixed pavilion in the Giardini.

Art invades the whole of Venice: besides the official pavilions, many independent exhibitions turn the city into an open-air museum.

Biennale does not only mean art: in 1932 the Mostra del Cinema was born, one of the most important film events in the world. A few decades later came the birth of the Biennale Architettura, which was a revolution.

The public is always divided: every edition has those who say ‘this is the art of the future’ and those who comment with a desperate ‘but is this art?!’

La Biennale today: what does it represent?

Today, the Biennale is much more than an art exhibition: it is a thermometer of contemporaneity.
Here, the languages of the present and the future are spoken, the great themes of the world – climate crisis, migration, politics, identity – are addressed through the eyes of artists.

For some it is a place of discovery, for others an elitist event, for still others a stage for provocation for its own sake. Many artists would like to know if there is a secret to participating in the Biennale, in fact it is the same secret that allows great artists to get noticed: talent, hard work and a pinch of luck.
The truth? It is all of this together.

One thing is certain: if you love art, you must see the Venice Biennale at least once in your life.

Have you ever visited the Biennale? What was the work that impressed you the most (for better or worse)? Tell me in the comments!