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About | British Council Skip to main content About What is the Venice Biennale? The Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is one of the longest-running cultural festivals in the world. In 1895, the Venetian City Council Mayor wanted to establish a prestigious Italian and international art exhibition, so the first Venice Biennale was launched. Welcoming over 200,000 visitors during its opening year, it proved to be a huge success and the festival continues to thrive today. It now attracts up to 600,000 international visitors each year. The world's top curators organise ambitious exhibitions that are often considered to be highly political, provocative or groundbreaking. The Venice Biennale is renowned for setting new global trends and launching the international careers of many pioneering artists and architects. How long does the Venice Biennale last? The Biennale is open to the public for six months every year, from May until November, and alternates between art and architecture each year. What is the British Pavilion? The official Biennale exhibition is spread across two venues in the east of the city: the Arsenale and the Giardini. The Giardini, an area of parkland, houses the Central exhibition Pavilion and 29 national pavilions. Each of them, including the British Pavilion, presents its own showcase from a particular country or region. The British Pavilion was originally a café-restaurant until it was converted into an exhibition space by British architect E. A.…
