The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Ever since its foundation in 1895, it has been in the avant-garde, promoting new artistic trends and organising international events in the contemporary arts in accordance with a multi-disciplinary model which characterises its unique nature.

The Venice Biennale
The history of the Venice Biennale has deep roots. It began when the Venetian City Council, headed by its mayor Riccardo Selvatico, passed a resolution on 19th April 1893 to set up an Esposizione biennale artistica nazionale (biennial exhibition of Italian art), to be inaugurated in 1894.

La Biennale di Venezia  History of the Venice Biennale 
1895 - 2008

The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Established in 1895, the Biennale has an attendance today of over 300,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition.

The history of the Venice Biennale dates back from 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organized. In the 1930s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival ever organized). In 1980 the first Intl. Architecture Exhibition took place, and in 1999 Dance made its debut at the Venice Biennale. 
  
From the beginnings until the Second World War (1895-1945) 
Headed by its mayor, Riccardo Selvatico, the Venetian City Council passed a resolution on 19th April 1893 to set up an Esposizione biennale artistica nazionale (biennial exhibition of Italian art), to be inaugurated on 22nd April 1894. 
 
From the post-war period to the reforms of 1973 (1948-1973) 
The International Art Exhibition reappeared after the war and the fall of fascism with a major exhibition of a recapitulatory nature. A retrospective of Picasso's work was exhibited for the first time at the Biennale. 
 
From the '70s to the reforms of 1998 (1974-1998) 
The four-year presidency of Carlo Ripa di Meana began (1974-1978). The International Art Exhibition was not held (it was resumed in 1976). Theatre and cinema events were held in October 1974 and 1975 under the title Libertà per il Cile (Freedom for Chile). 
 
Recent years (1999-2008) 
The new Biennale kicked off: the 48th International Art Exhibition APERTO Over All recovered the historical spaces of the Arsenale (Artiglierie, Isolotto, Tese, Gaggiandre). A new sector was created for live shows: DMT (Dance Music Theatre).