Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

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

Phll-Flickr

‘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

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