Giancarlo Franco Tramontin
Venice Biennial 2013
The Venice Biennial beginning
In 1895, Riccardo Selvatico, the mayor of Venice conceived the ambitious idea to have a permanent international contemporary art exhibition, where artists from primarily Europe, were invited to participate. As it gradually evolved in the early 20th century and was held on a biennial basis, influential countries at this time desired their own art pavilions, which was granted, and they flourished in the Giardini, the public gardens of Venice initiated by Napoleon.
The contemporary and visionary direction of the Biennial was reinforced in 1948, after a 6 year hiatus due to WW2. It restarted with an exhibition of Cubist and Surrealist trends including a retrospective of Picasso (his first appearance at the Biennale at age 67) and works by artists Ernst, Dali, Kandinsky, Klee, Miro, Giacometti and Mondrian. The Biennale has continued to exhibit avant-garde art, including the introduction of abstract expressionism in the 1950’s and recognizing PopArt in the 60‘s. In 1956 there was a significant Impressionist Exhibition which presented works by Monet, Sisley, Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. The French Pavilion lined up personal collections of Maillol, Braque, and Chagall while the British Pavilion brought Turner and Henry Moore to Venice.
Phyllida Barlow’s sculptural installation, ‘Folly,’ in the British Pavilion.
Photo – Gianni Cipriano, Venice Biennale 2017
There are now over 90 international pavilions that feature contemporary art during the Venice Biennial art show along with numerous other gallery spaces that populate the labyrinth of Venice.The Biennale is open from May to November and is the oldest and largest biennale, making it one of the most prestigious international events in the contemporary art world today.
The main exhibit of the Biennale is located in the Giardini, a sprawling park that features a large Central Pavilion housing the works curated by the festival’s director. Every Biennale is curated by a different director, who chooses the theme along with the exhibits for the Central Pavilion (the original site of the Biennale) and in the Arsenale, the historic fortress-like shipyard and armory from the era when Venice was a major world power.
The grandeur of the centuries old architecture of Venice, featuring enchanting Gothic, Byzantine, and Moorish influenced palaces and mixed with buildings of charm and huge warehouse galleries, densely planted on its winding canals, provides an intriguing and striking contrariety for showcasing contemporary, cutting edge art and installations. The Biennale remains a premier destination for art enthusiasts.
The 57th International Art Exhibition – Viva Arte Viva, curated by Christine Macel and organized by the Biennale di Venezia chaired by Paolo Baratta, will be open until Sunday 26 November 2017.
Palazzo delle Esposizioni Giardini, Venezia, 2009
Photo: Giorgio Zucchiatti
Nigeria artist Peju Alatise – ‘Flying Girls’ at the Nigerian Pavilion
Venice Biennial 2017 — Photo Peju Alatise
‘Maiastra’ — Constantin Brancusi
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Marc Quinn sculptural head
55th Venice Biennale. 2013
Shoja Azarii – Frame from video narrative ‘Banquette of Houries (King Of Black)’ retelling Iranian Nizami Ganjavi’s epic poem, Haft Pyykar (Seven Beauties)
Roberto Cuoghi – ‘Belinda’
‘Il Palazzo Enciclopedico’ 55th Venice biennale 2013
Benedictine Monks Contemplate Perspective—John Pawson
Tony Cragg – ‘Secretions’
Ca’ Pesaro – Gallery of Modern Art – 2005
Subodh Gupta,-‘Hungry Gods’
Palazzo Grassi
Art Biennale exhibition, Venice 1964. Sculpture – Standing, Vertical, Voluptuous
Photo by Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche-Getty Images
A boat with two oars made of tree roots and soil by Finn, Olavi Lanoo,Venice 1978
Photo by Adriano Alecchi Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Cindy Sherman
Sarah Lucas bronze sculpture
Venice Biennial 2015
3d printed sculpture – Zaha Hadid
‘Guardians of Time’ – Manfred Kili Kielnhofer
‘Gruppo di Leda e il Cigno’ – Roman replica 0f 1st Century Greek original
At the Correr Museum in Venice,
Bill Viola ‘Emergence’ — Renaissance–Carpaccio
‘Blue Star Linz’ — Otto Piene
Celeste Boursier Mougenot — French pavilion
Chinese artist Liu Ruo Wang ‘Iron Wolves’ at the center of the copy of Michelangelo’s Pietà
Chris Ofili paintings
Biennale di Venezia
‘Treasures from the wreck Unbelievable’ — Damien Hirst – 2017 Venice Biennial – ‘Vive Arte Viva’
189 treasures retrieved from the ocean floor — ‘Treasures tap into a desire for belief, for a connection with the past’, – Damien Hirst
‘Somewhere between lies and truth lies the truth’
‘The warrior and the Bear’ – Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst’s ‘Diablo with Bowl’ — Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana
Photo Prudence Cuming
Headless Diablo with bowl – Damien Hirst
‘Aspect of Katie Ishtar Yo-landi’ – Damien Hirst
Mauro Eugenio Atzei – flickr
‘Hydra and Kali’ – Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst in Venice Save Fantasy 2017 — ‘Aten’
Punta-della Dogana
Damien Hirst in Venice Save fantasy ‘Lion Women of Asit Mayor ‘
Punta della Dogana
Damien Hirst–‘Sphinx’
‘Taking the Mickey’ – Damien Hirst
‘Treasures from the wreck Unbelievable’ Barnacle Goofy sculpture – Damien Hirst
‘Hydra and Kali’ – Damien Hirst
Blue sculpture bust – Damien Hirst
Palazzo Grassi at entrance to the Grand Canal
‘Dea Alati’ gold bust – Damien Hirst
Mauro Eugenio Atzei – flickr
Mayan disk – Damien Hirst
Underwater ‘Hydra and Kali’ – Damien Hirst
‘Hydra and Kali’ – Damien Hirst
‘Medusa Verde’ –Damien Hirst
Mauro Eugenio Atzei – flickr
Bronze head – Damien Hirst
Solar head sculpture ‘Sun Disc’ – ‘Treasures from the wreck Unbelievable
Solar head sculpture ‘Sun Disc’ – ‘Treasures from the wreck Unbelievable’ – Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst -‘Treasures from the wreck Unbelievable’
Damien Hirst -‘Treasures from the wreck Unbelievable’
Elisabetta di Maggio – Lotus leaf stabilized and hand-cut with a scalpel.Elizabeth
Venezia Contemporanea
Diego Perrone, ‘Vittoria (Adolfo Wildt)’
Venice Biennale—2013
Henry Moore bronze sculptures
Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice
Damien Hirst’s ‘Five Grecian Nudes’, ‘Five Antique Torsos’, and ‘Grecian Nude (three versions)’
Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates
‘Imitation Of Christ’ — Roberto Cuoghi
57th Venice Biennial, 2017
‘Imitation Of Christ’ — Roberto Cuoghi
57th Venice Biennial, 2017
Marc Quinn’s sculpture ‘The Overwhelming World of Desire’ was part of the Statements 7 exhibition
Max Klinger life size bronze sculpture of ‘Badende’ (Bather) Black and Gustav Klimt- ‘Juddith II’ –Salome
‘Mist’ – Jaume Plensa – Venice Biennale
Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore
photography by Jonty Wilde
Alberto Giacometti, ‘Place’ – 1947-1948
Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo – ‘The Flower Maidens’
Palazzo Fortuny art museum, Venice
All the World’ Futures Occupations Discoveries,installation by Brazilian artist Antonio Manu
Gabriel Bouys – AFP Getty-Images
Venice Biennial 2015
Urs Fischer’s facsimile of Giovanni Giambologna’s ‘The rape of the sabine women’, executed as a self destructing wax candle sculpture
Venice art Biennale, 2011.
Mirko (bronze) ‘Leone urlante II’ 1956. Peggy Guggenheim Museum garden Venice
Venice Peggy Guggenheim Museum
‘Chariot’ — Fritz Koenig
1957
Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Mimmo Paladino– ‘The Cloven Viscount’, Bronze
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Alexander Calder
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Venice art biennale — ‘The Golden Tower’ by James Lee Byars
Photo – Richard Ivey courtesy Michael Werner-NY, London
‘Mountain Angel’ – Sergey Smirnov
Venice 2002
Italian Albanian artist Helidon Xhixha’s iceberg installation for the Serbian Arab Republic pavilion.
Venice Biennial 2015
Lucio Bubacco glass sculpture – ‘The Dancing Satyrs’
‘The End of Carrying All’ by Kenyan artist Wangeti Mutu
Pavilion of the Nations Venice Biennale 2015
Photo Andrea Merola EPA
The inflatable sculpture ‘Breath’ (2012), by the artist Marc Quinn
Multi material sculpture ‘The Cave Painter’ by Toronto artist Shary Boyle
‘The Robing of the Bride’ -Max Ernst, 1940
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
‘The Weatherman’— Max Ernst
1951
Immagine di Ca’ Pesaro Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna, Venezia
‘Together’ – Jaume Plensa- Venice biennale
photography by Jonty Wilde
Urs Fischer – ‘Spinoza Rhapsody’
Palazzo Grassi
Chiharu Shiota’s ‘The Key in the Hand’ the feature installation of the Japanese Pavillion. Thousands of donated keys are suspended over an interwoven length of string.
Venice Biennale 2015
Vetro d’artista glass sculpture – Lucio Bubacco, Murano
Photo – Norbert Heyl
William Barton and Djakapurra Munyarryun at the Australian pavilion with art by Fiona Hall in the background.
Venice Biennale 2015
Zaha Hadid suspended sculptures
Zaha Hadid sculpture – Venice architecture biennale 2012 “Common ground”
‘Tempera’ – Francesco Hayez
1817 – Museo Correr, Venice
NEXT POST — Les Journées de la Céramique – Paris
