Venice Biennale dates set
- Biennale Arte 2026, titled “In Minor Keys,” will run from May 9 through November 22, 2026 in Venice. (labiennale.org) - The Biennale's awards ceremony is scheduled for May 9, marking the official opening weekend in Venice. (labiennale.org) - The date announcement was part of the Biennale's broader schedule and jury communications released this week. (labiennale.org)
Venice’s 2026 art biennale will open to the public on May 9 and run through November 22, setting the calendar for one of the art world’s biggest recurring shows. (labiennale.org) La Biennale di Venezia said the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys,” will unfold at the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites across Venice. The preview days are scheduled for May 6, 7 and 8, ahead of the public opening. (labiennale.org) The awards ceremony and inauguration are both set for Saturday, May 9, 2026. La Biennale named the international jury on April 22, with the ceremony date included in that announcement. (labiennale.org) “In Minor Keys” is the exhibition conceived by curator Koyo Kouoh, whom La Biennale appointed in December 2024 to lead the 2026 edition. The organization said it is carrying out the exhibition with the full support of Kouoh’s family. (labiennale.org, labiennale.org) The Venice Biennale runs on a two-year cycle for art, so date-setting functions as a planning signal for museums, galleries, artists, collectors and national pavilions that build exhibitions around the opening week. La Biennale says the 2026 edition will include 100 national participations and 31 collateral events. (labiennale.org, labiennale.org) La Biennale said seven countries will appear for the first time in Biennale Arte in 2026: Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Nauru, Qatar, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Vietnam. El Salvador will also take part for the first time with its own pavilion. (labiennale.org) The central exhibition itself will feature 110 invited participants, including individual artists, duos, collectives and artist-led organizations from multiple regions. That invited exhibition sits alongside the national pavilions at the Giardini and Arsenale sites. (labiennale.org, labiennale.org) For visitors, La Biennale says the show will be closed on Mondays except May 11, June 1, September 7 and November 16, with summer hours running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and autumn hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets and guided tours are being sold online. (labiennale.org) The calendar now fixes the shape of Venice’s next art season: preview crowds in early May, prizes on opening day, and a public run that stretches deep into late November. (labiennale.org)
