Fragments of memory from the Historic Archives of the Biennale
1895 - 1942
Construction of the Palazzo dell’Esposizione
1895
Photo: ASAC Fototeca
H.M. Umberto I of Savoia and Queen Margherita at the inauguration of the Exhibition
1895
Photo: Augusto Tivoli
Poster for the 1st International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice, Stabilimento C. Ferrari, Venice, 224x303 mm
1895
Photo: ASAC Fondo Manifesti
Letter from Gustave Moreau to the Mayor of Venice, Filippo Grimani
1896
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
The Palazzo dell’Esposizione with the facade designed by Mario De Maria and Bartolomeo Bezzi
1897
Photo: Tomaso Filippi
Augusto Sezanne, Project for the logo of the 2nd International Art Exhibition, ink and tempera on paper, 690x690 mm
1897
Photo: ASAC Fondo Artistico, inv. 8002578
Telegram from Count Giannotti on behalf of H.M. Umberto I of Savoia to the Secretary of the Exhibition, Antonio Fradeletto
1897
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
‘The Inauguration of the Exhibition in Venice’, a photographic reproduction of the cover of La Tribuna illustrata della Domenica
30 April 1899
Photo: ASAC Fototeca
The Giacomo Favretto room
1899
Photo: Carlo Naya
Letter from Claude Monet to the direction of the Biennale
1 October 1898
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
The press room. Architect Raffaele Mainella
1903
Photo: Giacomelli
The dining room: design Victor Horta
1903
Photo: Giacomelli
Letter from Auguste Rodin to the Secretary General of the Exhibition, Antonio Fradeletto
19 October 1903
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Official notice of the participation in the Exhibition of artist Vassily Kandinsky
1903
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Letter from Maurice Utrillo to the Secretary General of the Biennale, Antonio Fradeletto
28 January 1904
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
The English room. Furniture designed by Frank Brangwyn
1905
Photo: Giacomelli
The Secretary General Antonio Fradeletto with, among others: painter Pietro Fragiacomo, writer Giovanni Bordiga and composer Pietro Mascagni at the inauguration of the Biennale
1907
Photo: Giacomelli
Letter from Giorgio De Chirico to the members of the Committee for the participation in the International Art Exhibition of Venice
15 December 1909
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
The Belgian Pavilion. Architect Léon Sneyers, decorations by Emile Fabry and Georges Minne
1910
Photo: Giacomelli
Personal exhibition by Gustav Klimt. Exhibition design by E. I. Wimmer
1910
Photo: Giacomelli
Letter from the Italian Embassy in Vienna to the Secretary General of the Exhibition, Antonio Fradeletto
2 April 1910
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Personal exhibition by Alessandro Milesi
1912
Photo: Giacomelli
The façade of the Palazzo dell’Esposizione modified by Guido Cirilli
1914
Photo: Giacomelli
Alexander Archipenko, Two Women, pencil on yellow paper, 500x300 mm
1920
Photo: ASAC Fondo Artistico
The Adolfo Wildt room. Wrought iron works by Alessandro Mazzucotelli
1922
Photo: Giacomelli
Room 17 – The international sculpture exhibition
1922
Photo: Giacomelli
Postcard from Adolfo Wildt to the members of the acceptance Jury of the Exhibition
15 October 1923
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Postcard from Adolfo Wildt to Romolo Bazzoni
7 May 1924
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Margherita Sarfatti in the rooms of the exhibition Sei Pittori del ‘900 with Anselmo Bucci, Leonardo Dudreville, Achille Funi, Gian Emilio Malerba, Pietro Marussig, and Mario Sironi
1924
Photo: Giacomelli
Carlo Carrà, La casa dell’amore 1, etching, VII/X, 495x350 mm
1924
Photo: ASAC Fondo Artistico
Exhibition of Italian Futurism in the USSR Pavilion, the Depero room
1926
Photo: Giacomelli
Telegram from Medardo Rosso to the Podestà of Venice and the President of the Exhibition, Pietro Orsi
29 July 1927
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Dome room. Architect Gio Ponti
1928
Photo: Giacomelli
The café-bar. Architect Brenno Del Giudice
1928
Photo: Giacomelli
Letter from the Podestà of Venice, Pietro Orsi to Giorgio De Chirico
7 January 1928
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Telegram from Marc Chagall about the sale to Ca’ Pesaro of the work Rabbi of Vitebsk
3 July 1927
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
The reading room in the Historic Archive of Contemporary Art at the Doge’s Palace
1928
Photo: Ferruzzi
Postcard from Giacomo Balla to Agostino Marie Comaducci
7 March 1931
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
The Venice Pavilion designed by Brenno del Giudice
1932
Photo: Giacomelli
The United States Pavilion, Indian Tribal Art room
1932
Photo: Giacomelli
Visit by Adolph Hitler
1934
Photo: Ferruzzi
Considerations on Futurist art by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti for the exhibition Quarantanni d’arte veneta - mostra commemorativa della fondazione della Biennale
1935
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Visit by Benito Mussolini
1936
Photo: Giacomelli
The façade of the Italian Pavilion. Architect Duilio Torres. Frescoes: at left The Birth of Rome by Franco Gentilini, at right The Queen of the Seas by Giuseppe Santagata, completed in 1938
1932
Photo: Giacomelli
The Competition Room designed by Duilio Torres
1938
Photo: Giacomelli
The visit by King Vittorio Emanuele III accompanied by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and Enrico Prampolini
1942
Photo: ASAC Fototeca
Letter from Enrico Prampolini and Fillia to Antonio Maraini
1930
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, An account of Italian Futurism
1930
Photo: ASAC Fondo Storico
La Biennale was founded in 1893 as a local public institution with the mission of organising recurring international art exhibitions. The first International Art Exhibition was held in 1895. The Secretary General kept up contacts with delegates from participating countries to ensure a unified approach and overall artistic direction, providing the President with a suggested list of artists and works to be exhibited. Starting in 1907, for many years, national pavilions were built in the Giardini by participating countries.
In 1930, with a Royal Decree Law of 13 January 1930, La Biennale was turned into a state-controlled body. Rather than a straightforward organisation set up to hold art exhibitions, it became an institution with a vast array of duties: in 1930 the Music Festival was established and in 1932 the first Venice Film Festival was held, soon followed by the Theatre Festival in 1934.
Despite the challenging international situation in May 1940, when the war in Europe had been raging since autumn and Italy was poised to enter it a month later, the Biennale opened its doors for the 22nd edition. Preparations for the 1942 Biennale were even more challenging: Italy was at war and the Venetian institution had neither staff nor resources to work with.
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