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M ario Codognato is an art historian and curator whose family have lived in Venice for generations. He was previously Chief Curator of MADRE, Naples and is currently Director of the Anish Kapoor Foundation. As the 60th Venice Biennale opens on 15 April, Codognato returns to Venice to curate Willem de Kooning in Italy at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, which will examine the impact and influence that the artist's time in Italy had on his work. As this major survey opens during the Vernissage week, Codognato shares his highlights of the biennale, from the standout pavilions to the exhibitions opening across the city.
Renowned for his artistic practice blending American, Indigenous, and Queer histories with influences from music and pop culture, Gibson crafts a dynamic visual language reflecting the inherent diversity and hybridity of American culture. Through abundant color, complex patterns, and text, he fosters deep reflection on identity, inspires empathy, and advocates for widening access to democracy and freedom for all.
Renowned for site-specific works reimagining architectural space and evoking subjective memories through invisible elements like scent, sound, and temperature, Koo will be the principal artist in the country’s pavilion. The cylindrical steel building will be transformed into an immersive, scent-centric environment. Pieces with distinct aromas representing Korea’s various cities will be installed throughout the structure, guiding visitors on a “Korean scent journey.”
This exhibition marks the first exploration of de Kooning’s time in Italy during 1959 and 1969 and the profound impact these visits had on his work. It will highlight Italy’s influence on de Kooning’s subsequent paintings, drawings, and sculptures in America, a subject never thoroughly researched before. The enduring impact of these creative periods will be revealed through an exceptional selection of works spanning from the late 1950s to the 1980s.
17 April – 15 September 2024 Gallerie dell’Accademia, Campo della Carità 1050, Venice.
Lowe’s latest series of paintings stem from contemplation of the arch in architecture. As the artist notes, “Everything has a life cycle, and within every cycle, there is a curve, like the arch in architecture.” In these vibrant canvases, created with acrylic paint and collage, geometric motifs and improvisation engage in dialogue. Through a process of pictorial construction and deconstruction, the artist evokes infrastructure, mapping, and the experience of movement in Venice.
17 April – 24 November 2024 Museo di Palazzo Grimani, Rugagiuffa, 4858, 30122, Venice.
For Pierre Huyghe, the exhibition ritual is an encounter with a sentient milieu generating new possibilities of interdependence between unfolding events and elements. His works are conceived as speculative fictions and often presented as a continuity of several forms of intelligence evolving during the exhibition. At Punta della Dogana, the artist presents his largest exhibition to date, transforming the venue into a dynamic environment—a transitory state—where time, space, and all that enters, visible or invisible, constitute the works.
17 March – 24 November 2024 Punta della Dogana, Dorsoduro, 2, 30123, Venice.
At Palazzo Diedo, Berggruen Arts & Culture will feature permanent installations expressly created by internationally renowned artists for its spaces, along with an exhibition program coinciding with the Biennale di Venezia events and an artist residency program promoting art creation in Venice. The multifunctional space of Diedo will also host performances, symposia, and conferences. The art interventions are conceived in direct relation to the architecture and are connected to Venice’s ancient traditions of art crafts, such as ceiling frescoes, Murano glass manufacturing, precious fabrics, and Venetian floor decoration.
Palazzo Diedo, Fondamenta Diedo, 30121, Venice.
Sotheby’s will be in residence at The Gritti Palace for the duration of the Vernissage. You can read our extensive coverage of the Biennale here, as well as signing up for related emails, talks and events throughout the year. Jeffrey Gibson's limited edition cashmere blanket, I Feel Real When You Hold Me, produced in collaboration with Sotheby's on the occasion of the 60th International Venice Biennale, is available for immediate purchase.
