Mind the (Generation) Gap
The Venice Biennale Has Turned 60 and is Still Basking in La Dolce Vita
By Rosemary Counter|May 15, 2024
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Photo: Atlantis Photo Travel/Getty Images
40s
›Inspiration: Beyoncé
Beyoncé immerses herself in art: She announced one of her pregnancies dressed as Venus de Milo, filmed her Apesh*t video at the Louvre – juxtaposing Black bodies against the traditionally white museum space – and has a stupendous art collection.
›Glitterarty: Performance Art
The Biennale pushes boundaries: 2024’s theme “Foreigners Everywhere” explores xenophobia and racism, perfect for Canada’s representative, artist Kapwani Kiwanga, whose work traces power asymmetries.
›Water Colour: Cos Play
From the glorious La Fenice opera house, to masked balls, drama is everywhere here. If you’re as maximalist as Beyoncé, the place to buy masks and costumes is Antonia Sautter’s atelier.
50s
›Inspiration: Edward Enninful Obe
Scouted for modelling at 16, Enninful just finished a tenure as the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, where he commissioned artists like Steve McQueen, and has since curated a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition.
›Glitterarty: Ciao bella!
Under Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa, 2024’s show will focus on “the immigrant, the queer, the outsider and the Indigenous.” Mingle with the glitterati in Giardini in Castello where it’s held, a district commissioned by Napoleon.
›Water Colour: Cin Cin
Go to legendary Harry’s Bar, where the fashion people gather, and enjoy a Bellini where it was invented. The bar’s storied clientele include Byron, Chanel, Jagger, – the list goes on.
60s
›Inspiration: Madonna
Madonna has an art collection with a rumoured value of US$100 million+. The superstar has works by Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Man Ray, whose nude photograph of Kiki de Montparnasse once hung in her L.A. living room.
›Glitterarty: Con Gusto
The music program is curated by composer Lucia Ronchetti, another multi-talented sexagenarian, and held in the magnificent Ca ’Giustinian Palazzo on the Grand Canal near the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
›Water Colour: Flat Wear
Nothing says step-into-the-gondola ease like “Friulane” slippers from Piedàterre. Whether cashmere, velvet or a collab with jetsetter Johnny Pigozzi, they’re perfect for navigating their native city.
70s
›Inspiration: Miuccia Prada
The billionaire Prada designer is a force in art: Her passion project is Fondazione Prada, a contemporary art space in Milan founded with her husband Patrizio Bertelli, which secured them a spot on the world’s top 200 art collectors list.
›Glitterarty: Artful Fashion
Expect luxury brands to throw splashy parties to lure celebrities like Salma Hayek. Her father-in-law, fashion mogul François Pinault, shows his vast contemporary art collection at the Palazzo Grassi.
›Water Colour: Aristo Misto
From the Gritti to the Danieli, Venice hotels are iconic, but only the Aman has its own aristocrat. Count Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga lives on the palazzo’s top floor where he designs his own line of Murano glassware.
80s
›Inspiration: Al Pacino
House of Gucci star Pacino will appear in the Modigliani biopic Modi, which is directed by Johnny Depp, as French art collector Maurice Gangnat, who died with no fewer than 150 masterpieces to his name.
›Glitterarty: Pretty as a Picture
Venice is a beautiful city where the beautiful people converge for the film festival, and beauty brands like L’Oréal sponsor prizes. Its five-star home is Hotel Excelsior, the city’s only beachfront hotel, where Clooney and De Niro have been seen roaming the halls.
›Water Colour: Buon Appetito
If you need to tuck into more than cicchetti (Venetian tapas usually eaten standing up), head to the classic Antiche Carampane restaurant – adored by well-heeled locals and the Michelin Guide alike. Try the spaghetti del Doge, with crab.
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