Highlights from the 2022 Venice Biennale

Though it was a year late due to the Covid pandemic, the 2022 Venice Biennale was globally attended by people who were eager to travel, and were especially looking forward to seeing art in this very special city.  

The Anselm Kiefer show at the famed Doge’s Palace was the most exciting art installation in Venice. Walking to the gallery where Kiefer’s work was shown was a history lesson on Renaissance art. The visitor passes ornate gilt ceilings and masterpieces by Titian and other old masters, frescos, and gold everywhere. 

Arriving at the Palace’s Sala dello Scrutinio, where the works were shown, we were overwhelmed by these awe-inspiring, oversized canvases. Made with unorthodox materials such as resin, straw, ash, gold leaf, lead and oil, these art pieces easily compete with the masterpieces on the ceiling. 

What will happen to the artworks after the show closes? Kiefer says, “When I start a painting, I know that I will annihilate it.” The canvases will return to the studio. and he might chisel away the surfaces, add another lawyer of paint or lead. His works are monumental and impermanent. Each day, paint and straw might shred from his hanging works. The artist knows that his art will deteriorate – that is part of the process.

Visiting Anish Kapoor’s Palazzo Manfrin was especially memorable. Kapoor restored this beautiful palazzo but kept the remnants, making it feel ancient. As we walked in, we were confronted by a large, red sculpture that almost blocked our path to the garden. 

There were many installations throughout the building, with sculptures and brightly colored powder bonded together in a surprising way. The color red was prominent. Outside, a large whirlpool of red liquid revolved in circles in a gigantic vat. Kapoor discussed his process with us and his concept of the fourth dimension. It was an amazing experience and especially rewarding to be able to speak with the artist in his environment.  

7 More Highlights from the Biennale 

Raqib Shaw had a magnificent showing at the Ca’ Pesaro. Shaw painted twelve works over a two year period. His intensely beautiful work calls to mind India’s miniature paintings and a longing for Kashmir, his homeland. His paintings are colorful, complicated, and brilliant.

Shaw lives outside of London and cultivates an extensive garden that is shown in many of his works. As a visitor to his garden, you are transported to an exotic jungle of flowering plants that brings you to another reality. 

An outstanding show of Louise Nevelson’s sculptures and collages, many that have never been seen before, are on view at the newly renovated Procuratie Vecchie. Room after room is filled with her absolute brilliance as an innovator, sculptor, and artist. Be sure to enjoy the video in the last gallery that highlights her process of building her sculptures.

As you tour the Giardini, the site of the Biennale, be sure to visit Simone Leigh’s monumental sculptures. We can all feel proud of her work and that she represents the United States in such a magnificent way.

The wonderful Foundation Giorgio Cini always has amazing art installations. This year they outdid themselves with an extravagant display of Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence – monumental works that offer a meditation on the killing of black men, inspired by historical images of fallen heroes.

Stanley Whitney: The Italian Paintings, at Palazzo Tiepolo Passi, was also a standout. His beautiful colors mirror the sea, sky, and colors of Italy. Besides his paintings, I enjoyed his homemade books on summers in Italy beside his glorious colored paintings.

The charming British artist Marc Quinn took us through his extraordinary exhibition at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Di Venezia. The integration of antiquities and contemporary art was a wonderful contrast to his own work – photos he has printed from the internet, and used as a canvas. Quinn refers to this series as history painting. He used contemporary images of Donald Trump, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Lil Nas X – a part of our cultural history. At the end of the show there was a poignant video of people he interviewed – it was “of the moment” and a very meaningful reflection of our society.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection’s exhibition “Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity” was our last stop. What a wonderful way to end our trip to Venice. This beautiful museum overlooking the canal is breathtaking and a visit to this art shrine is a “must-see” each time one visits Venice.

You can find these and many other Venice private museums in our directory, here.