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The idea of an art biennial in Venice was conceived in the 1890s by the city’s art loving mayor, Riccardo Sellvatico, who, as a reaction against Venice having lost its significance as a trade city in the course of the 19th Century, sought other ways through which the city might claim its stake as Queen of the Adriatic Sea.

The city council decided in 1893 to host an international art biennial, and a committee was appointed consisting of some of Europe’s most prominent artists, who would outline the artistic profile. The first biennial was held in 1895 in Palazzo d’Esposizione which had been built for that purpose. The biennial was a success from the beginning with a high number of visitors that grew during the ensuing biennials. Only interrupted by world political circumstances, the biennial has been held every two years in Venice since 1895.

During the initial two decades of its history, the exhibited works almost exclusively reflected official art of the times, such as salon art and national romantic painting. But in the course of the 1920s more modern trends emerged at the biennial in the form of impressionism, symbolism, Die Brücke, etc. At the biennials up through the 1950s, important art historical trends such as cubism, fauvism, futurism and surrealism were introduced at the biennial through a series of centrally curated separate exhibitions.

As one of the most prestigious and established art events at all, the Venice Biennial has been the target of many art political debates up through the 1960s. At the biennial in 1968, this critique culminated with students and artists occupying the Italian art academy as a protest against the biennial which they accused of being business rather than culture. That same year, the controversial art movement, Situationist International, broke into the biennial compound and staged the ‘revolutionary pavilion’.

In the course of the 1970s, the biennial sought to reform itself and take into account some of the criticism. Thus a theme was, for instance, introduced for the common exhibition of the biennial which would at the same time serve as a guideline for the pavilions, and a curator was appointed for the common exhibition. In 1980, the Aperto Exhibition was introduced, an exhibition section for younger artists, on which occasion the Arsenale Area adjacent to the Giardini di Castello was taken into use.