Art
Venice Biennale
Venice, Italy
Venice · Multi-month · Subject to availability
Spring opening, running to late autumn — dates to be confirmed
The oldest and most consequential exhibition in contemporary art, staged across national pavilions and a former shipyard in Venice.
The Biennale has run since 1895 and remains structured around national pavilions in the Giardini, supplemented by the vast spaces of the Arsenale and by exhibitions in palazzi and churches across the city. It is not a fair. Nothing is for sale, and the works are shown for six months rather than five days, which produces a fundamentally different kind of viewing. The commercial dimension is nonetheless real: careers and prices are made by a strong pavilion, and the collectors and institutions who attend the opening week are shaping their acquisitions for years afterwards. That opening week, in the spring, is the compressed social and professional centre of the whole run, and it is very heavily subscribed. Attending in the autumn instead offers the same exhibitions in a nearly empty city, which many principals now prefer.
- Month
- Multi-month
- Recommended stay
- 3–4 nights
- Nearest airports
- VCE · TSF
- Typical clientele
- Contemporary collectors and their advisers, museum directors, curators and biennale commissioners, gallery principals presenting represented artists, and cultural philanthropists with institutional commitments.
Why it matters
The Biennale sets the terms of critical conversation in contemporary art for the following two years, and the pavilions that succeed reshape the market for their artists. For collectors, the opening week is the point of maximum information and maximum congestion; for those who want to see the work properly, the later months are materially better. The Venetian palazzo exhibitions running in parallel are often the strongest material in the city.
How access is arranged
Opening-week attendance is controlled by the Biennale and the pavilion commissioners. Scott & Vale makes introductions to curators, galleries and advisers where such relationships exist, upon request and subject to availability, and coordinates travel, accommodation, water transfers and private viewings.
Scott & Vale coordinates travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design around this occasion, and makes introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist. The firm does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission.
Hospitality and travel
Where to stay
- Aman Venice
- Hotel Cipriani
- The Gritti Palace
- Ca' di Dio
- Villa Cipriani Asolo
Properties are listed as editorial guidance. Scott & Vale holds no inventory and no claimed relationship with any property named here.
Arrival by air
- VCE — Venice Marco Polo Business aviation handling on site; twenty-five minutes to the city by water.
- TSF — Treviso Secondary field forty minutes north; useful when Marco Polo is at capacity in opening week.
Helicopter. Rotations operate to the Lido, though water transfer from Marco Polo is faster in practice and considerably more agreeable.
Dining
- Quadri
- Osteria alle Testiere
- Antiche Carampane
- Il Ridotto
- Harry's Bar
Reservations are requested on a member's behalf, subject to availability.
Suggested itinerary
- 01 Day One Arrival by water and an evening in the city before the pavilions, which are best approached rested.
- 02 Day Two The Giardini from opening, taking the national pavilions in a planned order rather than by geography.
- 03 Day Three The Arsenale in the morning and the palazzo exhibitions across the city in the afternoon, moving by private launch.
- 04 Day Four Private viewings and collateral events, with departure by water in the evening or the following morning.
Scott & Vale support
- Private Jet
- Luxury Hotels
- Private Guides
- Restaurant Reservations
- Luxury Transfers
- Personal Concierge
- Travel Planning
Enquiry
Plan this properly, and plan it early.
An enquiry reaches the team directly with the context of this entry attached. A member of the team will respond within the hour, wherever you are.
Frequently asked
Is the opening week necessary?
It is where the professional and social activity concentrates. For viewing the work itself, September and October offer the same exhibitions with a fraction of the congestion.
How is movement handled in Venice?
By private launch, arranged for the duration. Walking between the Giardini, the Arsenale and the palazzi is possible but slow, and the vaporetti are heavily used in opening week.
Are the palazzo exhibitions worth including?
Frequently they are the strongest material in the city. They require a planned route, since several open by appointment only.
What does Scott & Vale arrange?
Travel, accommodation, water transfers, private guides, dining and the viewing route, with introductions to curators and galleries where such relationships exist.
Related events
Direct: info@scottnvale.com
Event names, marks and logos referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners. Scott & Vale is not an official partner, supplier or licensee of any event, organiser or rights holder named here, and no affiliation is implied. Scott & Vale does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission to any event. Travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design are arranged around these events, and introductions are made to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Photography: Benh LIEU SONG — Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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