See Inside the Venice Biennale’s Newly Renovated Central Pavilion Ahead of the 2026 Edition
ARTnews reports that the Venice Biennale’s Central Pavilion in the Giardini has been fully renovated ahead of the Biennale’s May 2026 opening, with a total budget of €31 million (about $36 million). Construction began in December 2024 and was completed in 16 months, funded publicly through Italy’s Ministry of Culture via the National Plan for Complementary Investments tied to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and connected to the ministry’s “Great Cultural Heritage Attractors” program covering 22 Biennale-related sites around Venice. The renovation was overseen by Venice Biennale staff architect Arianna Laurenzi and engineer Cristiano Frizzele, with BuroMilan (Massimiliano and Maurizio Milan) as lead firm and additional design contributions from Fabio Fumagalli and Labics (Maria Claudia Clemente and Francesco Isidori), plus landscape design by Stefano Olivari. Built in 1894–95 and modified over time (including a façade change by Guido Cirilli in 1914), the pavilion now features streamlined interiors with hidden technical systems, new skylights for uniform natural light, and motorized shades enabling blackout conditions.
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This story was covered in Biennale Brinkmanship and AI’s Ethical Abyss