ABSTRACT
This chapter takes stock of the origins and growth of these festivals, focusing particularly on the evolution of the Biennale’s multifaceted relationship with its host city and on its importance as a prototype that has been much copied elsewhere. It considers the nature of the first Biennale in 1895 and successor events up to the First World War. The chapter discusses the introduction of the Architecture Biennale, to run in alternate years with the Art Biennale – an ingenious development that meant that Venice effectively has a Biennale running for around six months of every year. The state tasked the festival’s new Fascist leadership with revitalizing the Biennale not only for international visitors but also for the Italian people. The decision to move into new art forms after 1930 transformed the Biennale into a multi-arts festival. In contrast to other festivals, the Venice Biennale had never had a distinct architectural section.
