La Biennale di Venezia was founded in 1895 and is now one of the most famous and prestigious cultural organizations in the world. Paolo Baratta has been its President since 2008 and before that from 1998 to 2001.
La Biennale, who stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends, organizes exhibitions and research in all its specific departments: Arts, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music, and Theatre. Its history is documented at the Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts (ASAC) that has been completely renovated in recent years.
Since 1998 the Art Biennale and the Architecture Biennale are no longer simply exhibitions organized with the contribution of National Pavilions, but rest instead on three pillars:
· The exhibitions by National Pavilions, each with its own curator and project.
· The International Exhibition by the Biennale curator, chosen specifically for this task.
· Collateral Events, approved by the Biennale curator.
This exhibition model has led to a pluralism of expressions: in order to accommodate them the exhibition spaces have grown for strategic needs, including an ambitious restoration of the Arsenale area which is still going on.
The Art Biennale has been recognized as the world leader in contemporary art exhibitions and the countries participating have increased from 59 (in 1999) to 86 in 2017.
The Architecture Biennale has also been recognized as the best in the world.
The Venice International Film Festival at the Lido (the oldest in the world dating to 1932) has remained a prestigious event worldwide due to the quality of its selection and the recent refurbishing of its historic buildings and technological supplies.
The relationship with the local community has been strengthened through educational activities and guided visits, with the participation of a growing number of schools from the Veneto region and beyond. This spreads the creativity on the new generation (3,000 teachers and 30,000 pupils involved in 2014). These activities have been supported by the Venice Chamber of Commerce. A cooperation with Universities and research institutes making special tours and stays at the exhibitions has also been established. In the three years from 2012-2014, 227 universities (79 Italian and 148 international) have joined the Biennale Sessions project.
In all sections there have been more research and production opportunities addressed to the younger generation of artists, directly in contact with recognized teachers; this has become more systematic and continuous through the international project Biennale College, now running in the Dance, Theatre, Music, and Cinema sections.
Venice Biennale
La Biennale di Venezia was founded in 1895 and is now one of the most famous and prestigious cultural organizations in the world. Paolo Baratta has been its President since 2008 and before that from 1998 to 2001.
La Biennale, who stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends, organizes exhibitions and research in all its specific departments: Arts, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music, and Theatre. Its history is documented at the Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts (ASAC) that has been completely renovated in recent years.
Since 1998 the Art Biennale and the Architecture Biennale are no longer simply exhibitions organized with the contribution of National Pavilions, but rest instead on three pillars:
· The exhibitions by National Pavilions, each with its own curator and project.
· The International Exhibition by the Biennale curator, chosen specifically for this task.
· Collateral Events, approved by the Biennale curator.
This exhibition model has led to a pluralism of expressions: in order to accommodate them the exhibition spaces have grown for strategic needs, including an ambitious restoration of the Arsenale area which is still going on.
The Art Biennale has been recognized as the world leader in contemporary art exhibitions and the countries participating have increased from 59 (in 1999) to 86 in 2017.
The Architecture Biennale has also been recognized as the best in the world.
The Venice International Film Festival at the Lido (the oldest in the world dating to 1932) has remained a prestigious event worldwide due to the quality of its selection and the recent refurbishing of its historic buildings and technological supplies.
The relationship with the local community has been strengthened through educational activities and guided visits, with the participation of a growing number of schools from the Veneto region and beyond. This spreads the creativity on the new generation (3,000 teachers and 30,000 pupils involved in 2014). These activities have been supported by the Venice Chamber of Commerce. A cooperation with Universities and research institutes making special tours and stays at the exhibitions has also been established. In the three years from 2012-2014, 227 universities (79 Italian and 148 international) have joined the Biennale Sessions project.
In all sections there have been more research and production opportunities addressed to the younger generation of artists, directly in contact with recognized teachers; this has become more systematic and continuous through the international project Biennale College, now running in the Dance, Theatre, Music, and Cinema sections.
Venice Biennale
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Antoni TàpiesArtistAntoni Tàpies (Barcelona, 1923–2012) was a Spanish painter, sculptor and art historian. He was one of the most significant exponents of that Catalan artistic movement most sensitive to the general renewal of the so-called international informal taste. He is considered one of the most important Spanish artists of the twentieth century.
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SMITH: Ici Grand OuvertMay 23, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027An artist-researcher, SMITH (born 1985) navigates between photography, moving images, installation, sculpture and performance. His work develops in open cycles, often starting with photographs.
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Christina Kubisch. The Emergence of SoundMay 24 – Sep 20, 2026For more than five decades, sound artist and composer Christina Kubisch (born in 1948 in Bremen) has been making artworks at the intersection of visual art and music, combining composition, installation, performance, drawing, video, and electronic music.
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OFFSCREEN: 5th editionOctober 20–25, 2026OFFSCREEN Paris is a nomadic event that values contemporary, historic and avant-garde artists with image-based practices. With its distinct voice, it is a must-see highlight of Paris Art Week each October...
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Fondation BeyelerMuseum / Riehen, SwitzerlandThe Fondation Beyeler is a museum of modern and contemporary art open 365 days a year. Its exhibitions of renowned artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries have brought the museum international recognition and established it as Switzerland’s most popular art museum.
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World Press Photo 2026Winners & ExhibitionsWorld Press Photo is an independent non-profit organization that champions the power of photojournalism and documentary photography to deepen understanding of the world’s complexities, promote dialogue, and inspire action.
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The Coming of AgeMar 26 – Nov 29, 2026
‘The Coming of Age’ features more than 120 artworks and objects, including historical artefacts and works by contemporary artists including John Coplans, Serena Korda, Suzanne Lacy, Anna Maria Maiolino, Rory Pilgrim, Paula Rego and more.
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American Icon: The US Flag in ArtJun 6 – Dec 6, 2026
Across generations, the Stars and Stripes has inspired pride, protest, and profound artistic expression. From battlefields to modern cultural movements, our flag’s journey through art reveals a nation constantly redefining itself.
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Calculating Empires / Kate Crawford & Vladan JolerNov 27, 2025 – Jan 31, 2027The monumental installation Calculating Empires impressively demonstrates how power and technology have been intertwined for centuries. The work, by artist-researchers Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler, and has been acquired by Rijksmuseum Twenthe...
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Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes ArtMar 28 – Nov 8, 2026
The UK’s first exhibition on Elsa Schiaparelli spans the 1920s to today, celebrating the innovative designer’s influence. It traces the fashion house’s groundbreaking origins and its evolution under current creative director Daniel Roseberry.
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Ordinary GriefA Story of ReconciliationOrdinary Grief is a story of tenuous reconciliation. In 2017, I returned to Iran after 25 years of self-exile, where I embarked on a personal and political reclamation of my identity and history.
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Jacques Henri Lartigue: Life in ColourJun 20 – Oct 4, 2026
‘Colour is the best way to express the charm and poetry of life.’ French painter, writer, and photographer, Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894–1986) is best known for his black and white photographs of society at the turn of the century Parisian Belle Époque.
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Afterlife Film ProgramSep 5 – Dec 18, 2026Death is one of the few universal experiences of the human condition and, at the same time, one of the most mysterious. Throughout history, religions, spiritual traditions, philosophical schools of thought, and even science have sought to answer the same question...
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Studio Museum in HarlemNew York, USAThe Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by black culture. It is a site for the dynamic exchange of ideas about art and society.
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Jalan & Jibril DurimelPhotographersTwin brothers Jalan & Jibril Durimel draw inspiration through their diversified upbringing between the French Antilles and the US. Born in Paris to parents from the island of Guadeloupe, at the age of 4 they moved to Miami...
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The 90sOct 8, 2026 – Feb 14, 2027Guest curated by fashion industry game changer Edward Enninful OBE, whose lived experience of the decade informs the exhibition The 90s examines a defining period in which a groundswell of creativity changed
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Balkan Contemporary Art Prize 2026October 2–5, 2026The Singer-Zahariev Foundation announces the shortlist for the 2026 Balkan Contemporary Art Prize (BCAP), the first international prize dedicated exclusively to contemporary art from the Balkans region.
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Argo: Movements of Inner and Outer NatureGwendolyn Hope GussmanArgo is a creative residency program and project space in Athens, Greece. We are open to visual artists, writers, performers, musicians, scholars, and any other creative discipline. Each residency includes accommodation, studio space, research support, and participation in a creative community.
Visit our New Announcement Submission page > Announcement Submission page >
