The Venice Art Biennale

The Venice Art Biennale. Also known as the International Art Exhibition and founded in 1895; it takes place every two years and normally runs from April until November.

The 61st Venice Biennale will be held from April – November 2026 and Koyo Kouoh has been appointed the artistic director.

Later in the 1930’s, new festivals were born, making their debut as part of Biennale family: Music (1930), Cinema (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival in history), Theatre (1934), the International Architecture Exhibition (1980), and Dance (1999).

To avoid confusion between the organisation and its exhibitions and festivals, the Venice Biennale under the legislative reform decree of January 2004; changed its name to the “Biennale Foundation” and the art exhibition’s title to the “Art Biennale”, (Italian: Biennale d’Arte).

The Venice Art Biennale – 2026

The 61st Venice Biennale will be held from April – November 2026.

Explore the growing list of pavilion announcements already made. 2026 Venice Biennale pavilions: your go-to list [updated] – ArtReview

Koyo Kouoh will be the artistic director of the 61st Venice Biennale, due to open in April 2026 and runs through November. Kouoh said in a statement. ‘It is a once-in-a-lifetime honour and privilege to follow in the footsteps of luminary predecessors in the role of Artistic Director, and to compose an exhibition that I hope will carry meaning for the world we currently live in – and most importantly, for the world we want to make. Artists are the visionaries and social scientists who allow us to reflect and project in ways afforded only to this line of work.’

Kouoh is currently the director of Cape Town’s Zeitz MOCAA, a position she has held since 2019 after establishing her name through the RAW Material Company in Senegal. Current shows at Zeitz include solos for Ghanaian-American artist Rita Mawuena Benissan and South African Nolan Oswald Dennis. Earlier this year, Kunstmuseum Basel opened When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, a survey exhibition curated by Kouoh that debuted at Zeitz. She has also previously taken part in the curatorial teams for documenta 12 (2007) and documenta 13 (2012).

‘The International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, has been the center of gravity for art for over a century. Artists, art and museum professionals, collectors, dealers, philanthropists and an ever-growing public converge on this mythical site every two years to feel the pulse of the Zeitgeist,’

Please note. The Official Website does not yet contain information for 2026. Please keep checking.

THE BIENNALE FOUNDATION

The Venice Biennale has been for over 120 years, one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Established in 1895, the Biennale has an attendance today of over 500,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition.

The history of the La Biennale di Venezia dates back from 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organised. In the 1930’s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival in history). In 1980 the first International Architecture Exhibition took place, and in 1999 Dance made its debut at La Biennale.

Common name	Formal name	Founded	Frequency
Venice Art Biennale	International Art Exhibition	1895	Odd-numbered years
Venice Biennale of Architecture	International Architecture Exhibition	1980	Even-numbered years (since 2000)
Venice Biennale Musica	International Festival of Contemporary Music	1930	Annually (Sep/Oct)
Venice Biennale Teatro	International Theatre Festival	1934	Annually (Jul/Aug)
Venice Film Festival	Venice International Film Festival	1932	Annually (Aug/Sep)
Venice Dance Biennale	International Festival of Contemporary Dance	1999	Annually (June; biennially 2010–16)
—	International Kids’ Carnival	2009	Annually (during Carnevale)

The offices of the Biennale are at Ca’ Giustinian, in the district of San Marco.

The president of the Biennale organisation, oversees its activities not only in art; but also architecture, film, dance, music and theatre. The President is nominated by the Minister for Cultural Affairs.

On the curatorial front, a new artistic director is picked to organise the central show at each art Biennale; a practice that began in the 1980’s. Every year a new exhibition theme is established – typically rather loose or vague.

Here are some recent themes: “May You Live in Interesting Times” – “All the World’s Futures” – “Making Worlds” – “Plateau of Humankind” – “Think with the Senses, Feel with the Mind“!

The main exhibition’s budget is supplemented by funds, contributed mostly by private individuals, foundations and philanthropists. As an example, in 2015, the budget for the international exhibition was around Euro 13 million.

See the complete management and organisational structure with contact details, at its website below.

BRIEF HISTORY

The idea that gave birth to the Venice Biennale dates back to 1893, when the Venice City Council decided to create a biennial exhibition of Italian Art; to celebrate the silver anniversary of the Italian King Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy.

The first Venice Biennale, known as “Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte della Città di Venezia”, which is where the Central Pavilion is located today; was opened on April 30 1895, by the Italian King and Queen and attended by over 220.000 visitors. ” .

Already at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Venice Biennale became increasingly popular and international; soon leading to the creation of permanent national pavilions.

The first National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale was created for Belgium, by Leon Sneyers in 1907. By 1914, six more nations had been established permanently: Hungary, Germany, and Great Britain in 1909, France in 1912 and Russia in 1914.

Except for some rare exceptions, the international exhibition has been held every 2 years since its creation. However, from 1916 to 1918 and later from 1943 to 1946, the Venice Biennale was cancelled; because of the two World Wars.

In 1920, the first independent Venice Biennale President was appointed. Until then, this role was fulfilled by the Mayor of Venice.

In 1930, the Venice Biennale was transformed into an autonomous board and in 1931, its control passed from the Venice City Council to that of the national Fascist government under Mussolini.

This change brought increased funds and led to the creations of new events, such as the Music Biennale in 1930, the Biennale Venice Film Festival in 1932 and the Theatre Biennale in 1934; taking on the multidisciplinary character that the Venice Biennale has to this day.

After WWII, the Venice Biennale renewed its attention to avant-garde movements, introducing to a broader public, abstract expressionism and Pop Art; as well as classical Japanese Noh theatre shows and also Indian cinema.

In 1972, the Venice Biennale adopted for the first time a theme for its Art exhibition; which was “Work or Behaviour”.

Although Architecture works and Dance shows existed before, as part of the Venice Biennale; the Foundation created the Venice Biennale dedicated to Architecture in 1980 and the one devoted to Dance, in 2003.

For a full history, themes and award winners etc; please consult the Official Website / History Section – BELOW.

The Venice Art Biennale – GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

The Venice Art Biennale is unlike any other art biennale in existence.

Historically, it was the original event, which set the stage for other international exhibitions. Rather than being just a single big show organised by a single artistic director, it is a wild, freewheeling festival composed of numerous elements. It can be described as “a smorgasbord of art that not even the most voracious glutton could hope to consume”.

It is not just a time for artists, art dealers and celebrities to party and compete! About half a million art lovers attend the exhibitions over the period; bringing less frequented parts of the city to life.

Basically, the Venice Art Biennale proper currently consists of three main parts:

Central exhibition organised by an artistic director in the Central Pavilion in the Giardini public gardens and the Arsenale naval shipyard.
National pavilions organised by participating countries at the Giardini and Arsenale; each offering a show of one or more artists.
Those countries not owning a pavilion in the Giardini or at the Arsenale; are exhibited in Palazzos across Venice as well as on islands of the Venetian Lagoon. Since the locations can change, it is important to look on the Biennale website for information on the whereabouts of non-permanent pavilions.

There are also all sorts of other exhibitions and events that coincide with the Biennale, but are not officially affiliated with it.

Some are vanity shows put on by artists or others, hoping to catch the eyes of all the assembled art types. Others are ambitious affairs at the city’s museums and foundations; sometimes organised with the assistance of commercial galleries, that want to have a presence in the city during the action.

In addition, there are performances, panels and screenings as well as dinners and sundry parties. All the things that make the art world hum.

THE GIARDINI AND ARSENALE SITES

GIARDINI. Today, the Central Pavilion has become a multifunctional structure of 3,500 square meters, and the area around it counts 29 National Pavilions. The pavilions are the property of the individual countries and are managed by their Ministries of Culture.

These are the Nations which have a National Pavilion at the Giardini of the Venice Biennale: Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, France, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, United States of America, Denmark, Venice, Austria, Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Venezuela, Japan, Finland, Canada, Uruguay, Nordic Countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Brazil, Australia and Korea.

ARSENALE. In 1980, the Arsenale opened the “Corderie dell’Arsenale” and the “Magazzini del Sale” which became the exhibition sites of the 1st International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Since then, the Arsenale is also used for the Art Biennale.

Today, the Arsenale hosts the Venice Biennale Pavilions of 23 Nations: Albania, Argentina, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Croatia, United Arab Emirates, Philippines, Georgia, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Republic of Kosovo, Latvia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Republic of Slovenia, Republic of South Africa, Tunisia and Turkey.

The countries not owning a pavilion in the Giardini nor at the Arsenale are exhibited in Palazzos across Venice as well as on islands of the Venetian Lagoon. Since the locations can change every year, it is important to look on the Biennale website for information on the whereabouts of non-permanent pavilions.

AWARDS

The Venice Biennale has awarded prizes to the artists participating at the Exhibition, since the first edition back in 1895. Grand Prizes were established in 1938 and ran until 1968; when they were abolished due to the protest movement. Prizes were taken up again in 1986. The selections are made by the Board of la Biennale di Venezia; following the recommendations of the curator of the International Art Exhibition.

Also upon the recommendation of the curator, the Biennale names the five members of its international jury; which is charged with awarding prizes to the national pavilions.

The international jury awards:

The Golden Lion for “best national participation”.
The Golden Lion for “best participant in the international exhibition”.
The Silver Lion for a “promising young participant” in the show.
It may also designate ” one special mention to national participants” and a maximum of two “special mentions to artists in the international exhibition”.
it may also award Golden Lions for “lifetime achievement”.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS

The two venues are about ten minutes’ walk apart. The nearest vaporetto stops are Arsenale and Giardini. In between the venues is Via Garibaldi, a broad and popular shopping street where you’ll find restaurants, food shops and other services.

A Biennale ticket includes access to both official venues, which you can visit on two separate days. Both include extensive exhibition areas, so you’ll need to allow a lot of time. The main exhibitions are closed on Mondays.

There is an enormous amount to see and assimilate and with its extensive exhibition areas there’s a lot of walking; so, it best to spread your visit of both sites over two days or more.

Each Biennale has a different curator and a different theme – something so vague that anything goes. If you are fortunate to have attended over several years; the exhibitions can become repetitive in their attempts to challenge or confront. The Biennale is best visited with patience and a sense of humour: remember art can seemingly be anything artists want it to be. Playing an amateur art critic, is all part of the fun!

I would recommend you take a bottle of water, find a programme with a map on it and allow time to wander and take breaks. Especially in the autumn, visitors would be advised to take insect repellent with them, or cover up in the gardens and areas close to water.

If you are planning a trip dedicated to art and want to stay near the Biennale venues; hotels in the Castello district will be the most convenient.

Other shows, hosted by pavilion-less countries, are held around Venice and give you a chance to explore private palaces for free. Various other events take place under the Biennale umbrella organisation, including the prestigious Venice Film Festival and a modern Dance festival. On even-numbered years there is an Architecture Biennale; which follows much the same pattern as the art one.

Finally, between June and August the temperatures in Venice tend to be high, the days humid and the city to be very crowded. Before mid-June and after mid-September, Venice is not as crowded and the days are not as hot and humid; making it possible to enjoy both the Venice Biennale and Venice and get less fatigued.

INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS (information, prices and opening times change – please check the range of ticketing opening times; with the official website linked below, when it becomes available).

How to reach the exhibition halls. From Piazzale Roma / Train Station: for Arsenal: ACTV 1-4.1; for Gardens: ACTV 1-2-4.1-5.1-(6 from Piazzale Roma). Giardini-Arsenale venues are 15 minutes’ walk apart.

Tickets. Online or at the Arsenale and Giardini venues.

Exhibitions in Palazzos across the city and on the islands of the Lagoon have free entry.

There are limited services in both exhibitions: bar, restaurant and bookshop.