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Biennale

The Venice Biennale is a worldwide-known institution that has been promoting new contemporary art trends for more than a century.

One of the features that makes this event stand out from the crowd is the adoption of a multidisciplinary model, which makes the Biennale a key event not only for art and architecture lovers, but also cinema, music, theatre and dance fans.

The Birth of the Venice Biennale


The Biennale finds its roots in 1895, when the first Biennial Art Exhibition in the world took place. At that time the main purpose was to support the art market and the artistic creativity in Venice and all over Italy. The Biennale was therefore born as an art exhibition, but during the 1900s it broadened its horizons to other disciplines and subjects by adding other festivals and exhibitions, in particular:
  • The International Festival of Contemporary Music (1930)
  • The International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art (1932)
  • The International Theatre Festival (1934)
  • The International Architecture Exhibition (1980)
  • The International Contemporary Dance Festival (1999)

The Biennale of Art and Architecture


The Biennale of Art and that of Architecture are those that literally gave the name to the event. They indeed used to take place every second year, biannually, indeed. The event mainly gravitates around the Napoleonic Gardens, in the Castello district. Here 29 pavilions are set up, each dedicated to a country, plus a Central Pavilion (formerly the Italian Pavilion). Since some year, the buildings of the Arsenale have also become part of the exhibition space of the event.

Today the Biennale has approximately a 17000 m² exhibition area and it also includes separate, related events that take place in all the districts of Venice. In 2020 the 17th International Architecture Exhibition is taking place from 23rd May to 29th November.

The Venice Film Festival


It is the oldest film festival in the world and, for sure, the most prestigious one. It was held for the first time in 1932 and it immediately was successful. For this reason it was repeated on a yearly basis since 1935. Each year, the festival presents a rich program of international films and assigns to the winner the coveted prize of the Leone d'Oro.

The red carpet of the Venice Lido thus welcomes some of the most appreciated international actors and directors. In 2020 it will take place from 2 to 12 September.

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