Venice Biennale: Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts

Once housed in a Venetian palace, the Venice Biennale's Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts opened this Library facility deep in the Biennale's Central Pavilion (located in the sprawling Giardini) in 2010. Slashed with vivid red, the bold sprawl of this space aggregates many nooks, mezzanines and this breathtaking hall of print within which lectures and screenings take place.

Venice : lurking in the arts section

Venice Biennale: lover of all the art forms

Fellini shelf in the Venice Biennale's Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts

The Venice Biennale's Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts collection closely mirrors the history and development of the Biennale itself. Founded in 1895, until 1930 the Biennale was Fine Arts specific, and so is the Library collection. In 1930, the Biennale event became independent from the local Venetian Government, and became dependant on the National Fascist government. After various allegiances, the Biennale became privatised and independent in 1998. 

In a surprisingly un-fascist turn of events, it was during the 1930s that many of the satellite events were added to the agenda and today the Biennale comprises several distinct festivals in Art, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music, and Theatre. The Library and Archives reflect this diverse and behemoth brief.