Venezia, Italy

Summer course in Curatorial Studies

online course
when 8 March 2021 - 18 March 2021
language English
duration 2 weeks
credits 10 EC
fee EUR 490

Why is the Venice Biennale still the leading international art shows? The Venice Biennale has been for over 120 years one of the most prestigious cultural institutions. The arts exhibition saw some of the most renowned 20th- and 21st-century artists presenting their work there and welcomed a range of important critics and art historians as curators of the main exhibitions and the National Pavilions, all contributing to generating the “pluralism of voices” for which the event has been known for. The history of the La Biennale di Venezia dates back from 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organized and has an attendance today of over 500,000 visitors.

Throughout decades, La Biennale di Venezia has maintained its ability to anticipate new trends in art, while presenting works and artists of every period under renewed perspectives. The preview days brings 25,000 artists, collectors, curators, museum directors and journalists into the city, followed by 600,000 visitors in the six months after. How has the event gained its prestige? How the curatorial projects of keys figures like Harald Szeemann, Massimiliano Gioni, Okwui Enwezor and Ralph Rugoff, have contributed to its developments? Which is the role of national pavilions organized by dozens of countries, each offering a show of one or more artists?
These are the questions that we will try to respond with insights and intervention by some of the main actors, helping us navigate the cultural influence of the Venice Biennale and its future prospective. We will enrich and deepen your understanding of how the Venice Biennale is basically running through original documents, letters and special guests.
Led by our global faculty, the course, is combining live lectures and discussion — to provide participants with expert insight and guided exploration.

Course 1. The Origins
8 – 11 March 2021
A consideration of the history of La Biennale, beginning with a short survey of the inaugural Biennale in 1895 and then focusing on subsequent artistic developments through the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The Biennale is becoming more and more international: the new pavilions build in the Giardini. Emblematic example of the geopolitical changes of the beginning of the 20th century. The architecture and the buildings of the national pavilions.
Between the two wars evolution and changes inside of the Biennale. How the fascist regime imposes its political power on the artistic choices and on the status of the Biennale.

15 - 18 March 2021
The Biennale after the second world war: 1948 and Peggy Guggenheim collection in the Greek pavilion.
The contribution given by Carlo Scarpa and his idea of display: from the exhibition to the Venezuela pavilion.
1964 the American artists are dominating the scene, and the Golden Lion to Robert Rauschemberg. 1968 a time for revolution. The necessity for the Biennale to update its role.
The show Ambiente/ Arte and the 1976 edition. 1980 a new section has been conceived: Aperto.
The fee per course is 490 euro. In case you choose to take part to more then one course, a discount of 100 euro will be applied to the fee of the next courses.

Our Online Delivery Method

Online Study Luctures effectively run over the week – Monday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm CET – maintaining our usual tours’ focused, intensive and immersive experience.

Live Seminars - Each lecture is two hours long at the end of each lecture we will have a half an hour for questions and discussions. Your tutor will hold live seminars with you and Google.meet discussions are accessed via a web-link which we will email to you. These sessions enable you to ‘meet’ your tutor and fellow students. To participate you will only need an internet enabled device; you do not need a Google.meet account. If you have questions that you were not able to raise in the discussions, you will also be able to communicate with your tutor by email.

Course aim

We will enrich and deepen your understanding of how the Venice Biennale is basically running through original documents, letters and special guests.
Led by our global faculty, the course, is combining live lectures and discussion — to provide participants with expert insight and guided exploration.

Fee info

EUR 490: The fee per course is 490 euro. In case you choose to take part to more then one course, a discount of 100 euro will be applied to the fee of the next courses.