Why is nobody talking about the art at the Venice Biennale?
And a story about Schiaparelli you may have missed.
My fortnightly diary entry highlights notable topics and stories from the London art scene and beyond that have caught my attention. Let me know if there are any topics you’d like me to focus on in future newsletters.
The woman artist exhibition you should be seeing at the Royal Academy of Arts
I clearly divided opinions with my less-than-complimentary thoughts on the Rose Wylie exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. However, if you are looking for a great exhibition about a woman artist, then you can still find one at the RA, with their excellent exhibition on Michaelina Wautier (until 21st June, ticketed).
She was a phenomenally talented 17th-century painter in a patriarchal world. Her works have been misattributed to her male peers, in this case, largely her brother, in a story that’s sadly common in art history. Now that her works have been correctly attributed and hang next to the work of her brother, Charles, it’s obvious even to my untrained eyes that she was by far the superior painter.
Normally, I’m not a fan of hanging works by other artists in what is advertised as a solo exhibition, as it usually signals they weren’t able to source enough of the artist’s work. However, in this case, it works well as it shows us that she was clearly the equal, and in many cases, superior to her male peers at a time when it was extremely challenging to be a woman painter.
The show includes excellent portraits, floral works and her impressive ‘Triumph of Bacchus’, where she’s included herself in the work - no mistaking that this painting is by her.
Why is nobody talking about the art at the Venice Biennale?
The Venice Biennale for Art is around the corner, kicking off in May, and there’s been lots of discussion about it in the art press. Yet nobody is talking about the art itself, but rather the stories surrounding it.
Before we dive deeper into these stories, a quick brief on the Biennale itself for those who may not be familiar with it. As the name suggests, it runs every two years (the architecture biennale is held in alternate years), and it’s marketed as the Olympics of the art world. A guest curator is selected to curate a main exhibition on a broad and pertinent theme; this year’s is ‘Minor Keys’, which examines quiet resistance and emotional depth.
The main contemporary art exhibition is held across two sites, the Giardini (Garden) and Arsenale (a former arsenal), and is about ten times the size of a major exhibition we see in a London museum or gallery. At these two sites, many countries have fixed pavilions. Britain has one, and it showcases the art that represents the country, typically by an artist living and working there.
Other countries either rent space at one of the two main sites or hold an exhibition off-site in and around Venice. The local galleries and museums put on major shows, and other artists and exhibitions also rent space in Venice at the same time to coincide with the Biennale. Venice fills with art, and during what’s known as the preview week in early May, hordes of artists, writers, curators, museum directors and more from across the world descend on Venice for a week of art openings, dinners and other events. It’s arguably the biggest event in the global art calendar, and I’ll be there this year. Listen to our podcast episode for a more in-depth take on the Biennale.
On to the big news about the Biennale…
Below the paywall:
The top stories and controversies of the Venice Biennale.
Are London’s galleries getting friendlier?
A hidden story inside Schiaparelli.
Dulwich Picture Gallery does it again.
A special new piece for art on the underground.