THE BIENNALE MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART IN VENICE & BEYOND

JUNE 5-13, 2019 TOUR LEADER: DR NICK GORDON

THE VENICE Overview BIENNALE The , from its inception in 1895, has been one of the Tour dates: June 5-13, 2019 world’s premier contemporary art fairs. We explore it over several days, allowing you to absorb some of the best contemporary art from around the world. The 2019 Biennale will be directed by Ralph Rugoff, the first curator Tour leader: Dr Nick Gordon from the UK to be selected for the sort after position. Rugoff has worked extensively with a range of contemporary arts and has curated major Tour Price: $5,730 per person, twin share exhibitions of Tracey Emin, Ed Ruscha and Andreas Gursky. His appointment follows the very introspective 2017 Biennale, and promises to Single Supplement: $1,640 for sole use of take advantage of his reputation for highly original and engaging shows. double room Between visits to the Biennale’s exhibition spaces, many of which are only Booking deposit: $500 per person open to the public during the Biennale, we discover the abundance of modern and contemporary art in Venice, travel to some of the quieter islands and see some of the less well-known jewels of Venetian art. The Recommended airline: Emirates tour also includes day trips to the World Heritage-listed Aquileia, as well as to two of ’s best new modern and contemporary art spaces in Maximum places: 20 Rovereto, a quiet town nestled in an alpine valley.

Itinerary: Venice (8) Accommodation is in a carefully selected four-star hotel in the heart of Venice, a few minutes from the Bridge and St Mark’s Square. The Date published: February 9, 2018 hotel is quiet, despite being in the centre, and close to some of the best districts in Venice for dining. An extended stay in central Venice will allow you to enjoy the city in the evening when the majority of visitors have left.

Your tour leader

Dr Nick Gordon holds a University Medal and PhD in History from the University of Sydney. He specialises in medieval and early modern European history and has taught at Australian universities for 10 years, on topics ranging from Ancient Greek democracy to the art and culture of Renaissance Italy, the French and industrial revolutions and the rise of modern psychology.

Nick has presented numerous popular art history courses at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Continuing Education, and is a regular speaker in the Nicholson Museum’s public lecture series. His academic expertise is complemented by the specialised knowledge he has gained as a practicing artist, and he brings these insights to the art enjoyed throughout this tour.

Enquiries and Nick has been leading cultural tours to Europe since 2006 and his deep bookings love of art, art history and the city of Venice led him to develop Academy Travel’s tours to the Venice Biennale. For further information and to secure a place on this tour “Dr Nick Gordon is a fabulous tour guide, tirelessly patient and please contact Frederick impressively knowledgeable. He significantly improved my enjoyment of Steyn at Academy Travel on the sites.” 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 “Nicholas was always approachable, kind and informative.” (outside Sydney) or email [email protected] Feedback from participants on the Venice Biennale tour, June 2017. .au

Tour Highlights

UNPACK YOUR BAGS IN VENICE Venice is a rewarding destination, especially for those who take the time to unpack and stay for an extended period. The location of our hotel, just minutes away from St Mark’s Square, allows you to fully enjoy the city, from its magnificent palaces, to its fine restaurants and the incomparable beauty of the city’s laneways and canals in the mornings and evenings when the average tourist is not there.

THE VENICE BIENNALE The Venice Biennale is the oldest and largest event of its kind in the world, with over 170 exhibitions and major galleries putting on special shows. Explore the extraordinary range of art on view with structured visits and time for independent exploration, and visits to venues normally closed to the public including the historic Arsenale and private palaces overlooking the .

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART Venice is a city of modern art, with excellent galleries including The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Ca’ Pesaro and the private collection of the Francois Pinault Foundation in the ¸ Venice’s historic customs house transformed into a gallery by Tadao Ando. Beyond Venice we visit two of Northern Italy’s best new modern art galleries, MART and Casa Depero.

AQUILEIA AND GRADO Escape the city to a little visited corner of Italy on a day trip to the World Heritage-listed Roman mosaics at Aquileia, one of the great cities of the Roman Empire, and the fine collection of ancient glass, sculpture and mosaics at its recently renovated archaeological museum. We also take in medieval Grado, home of the medieval patriarch, Venice’s most esteemed religious figure, and now a quiet seaside town.

VENICE’S HIDDEN JEWELS Beyond St Mark’s Square and the handful of sites most tourists see, is a wealth of art, architecture and history. Explore the city’s local neighbourhoods, where Venetians eat, drink and talk the evenings away; see masterpieces by Bellini, Carpaccio and Tiepolo; and visit the quiet islands of Torcello, with its exquisite medieval mosaics and lunch at Locanda Cipriani, and San Lazzaro degli Armeni

Venice and its Biennale

Venice has a very long history of enterprise. Perhaps the people’s acumen stems from the city’s early history, in which refugees from the mainland picked a collection of muddy islands in the lagoon as a site for settlement. They quickly became the middlemen of the Middle Ages, transporting other people’s goods at a substantial profit and controlling Europe’s balance of trade.

Even with the decline of trade in the 17th century, Venice continued to prosper by promoting itself as a unique destination. The number of casinos increased dramatically, as did the other trades that supported the revellers from around Europe who came for Carnivale (which lasted for six months of each year in Venice). While shipping was still significant (and remains so), Venice transformed itself into a type of service economy, about 300 years before it became fashionable to do so.

More recently, Venice has flourished as a city of art; its success is intrinsically linked to the establishment of the Biennale in the 1890s. World Fairs had already proven to be a hit, and the art market was booming on the back of new industrial wealth. Unlike Paris, Venice did not produce substantial amounts of art to sell. That didn’t turn out to be such a problem: Venice would pay to transport and exhibit other people’s art in exchange for a cut of the sales.

The profits from sales were modest, and the practice was later abandoned. As a commercial enterprise, however, it was extraordinarily successful. More than 200 000 people came to the first Biennale in 1895. Europe’s middle class spent money in Venice to see a selection of modern art displayed in beautiful surroundings. A decade later, foreign countries began to establish permanent bases in Venice, paying leading architects to design and build pavilions in the Giardini, now the heart of the Biennale and an open air museum of modern architecture.

Over the past 20 years, the event has trebled in size with exhibitions hosted by nations, major public galleries, philanthropic foundations, arts organisations and individuals. The modern and contemporary art collections in the city have grown at a similar rate – the Peggy Guggenheim Collection has doubled its capacity, the public collections have grown substantially, and the private collections of billionaires, such as Francois Pinault and Miuccia Prada, now call Venice home. These are alongside the masterpieces by Titian, Bellini, Tiepolo and Palladio littering the city.

As a model for an event, the Biennale has also been a great success – there are now well over 100 biennales worldwide, and many smaller recurring events using the same model. Venice, however, has the oldest, largest and most prestigious biennale. Clockwise from bottom left: Claudia Fontes’ “The Horse Problem” in the Argentina Pavilion, 2017; Otto Vincze’s “River Pool” on the Giudecca Canal, 2017; Chiharu Shiota’s fabulous “Key in the Hand” installation at the Japan Pavilion, 2015; inside Roberto Cuoghi’s “Imitation of Christ” installation in Italy Pavilion, 2017 Detailed itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Tour start & finish time The tour starts on Wednesday 5 June at 4.00pm, at the Hotel Al Codega, Venice.

The tour ends on Thursday 13 June at Hotel Al Codega, Venice, after breakfast.

Wednesday 5 June Arrive The tour starts in the hotel this afternoon. Please consult your individual travel documents for arriving at the hotel. After a stroll around our neighbourhood, there will be a light dinner in a local restaurant. (D)

Thursday 6 June The Venice Biennale This morning we visit the Giardini, the historic centre of the Biennale and the location of many of the national pavilions. We visit the Central Exhibition curated by Biennale Director Ralph Rugoff, the Australian Pavilion, and enjoy time to explore the other national pavilions. After a welcome lunch in an excellent Venetian restaurant, we continue exploring the National Pavilions in the Giradini and exhibitions in the Castello district. In the early evening we meet to talk about the day’s art over an aperitif. (B, L)

Friday 7 June The Arsenale and Hidden Gems This morning we take a walking tour of the smaller exhibitions and hidden gems of Venetian art in the Castello and Canareggio districts, including masterpieces by Bellini and Carpaccio, and the excellent Museum of Icons, with works by Cretan, Cypriot and Dalmatian masters from the 14-16th centuries. In the afternoon, we visit the Arsenale, once the powerhouse of the Venetian naval and maritime industries, and a Biennale exhibition space since the 1980s. Five hectares of shipyard have been converted into spaces that host some of the Biennale’s main exhibitions and performances. In the early evening, we have a talk in the hotel on contemporary art. (B)

Saturday 8 June Rovereto Today we travel by private coach to Rovereto, a town that grew up around a fortress on the border between the Republic of Venice and the medieval Bishopric of Trent. Today it is home to MART, an impressive new modern and contemporary art gallery with works by de Chirico, Morandi, Carrà and others. After a break for lunch in a local restaurant, we visit the house and museum of the futurist artist Fortunato Depero. In the afternoon, we return to Venice. (B, L) Sunday 9 June Glass and the Guggenheim

After a leisurely start, we tour the art and exhibitions of the Dorsoduro district, including the Glasstress Exhibition – a stunning collection of glass art made by well-known contemporary artists - and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, with a fantastic collection of Kandinsky, Pollock, Magritte, Mondrian, Picasso and others housed in the 18th-century palace that was Peggy’s home from the late 1940s until her death. In the late afternoon, you may wish to visit the Punta della Dogana, a former customs house that was converted into a contemporary art space by Tadeo Ando which houses works from the Pinault Foundation’s collection. Evening at leisure. (B)

Monday 10 June San Lazzaro and the Fortuny This morning we have a private visit of the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. The island was a leper colony before it was transformed into a monastery and refuge for Armenian monks. It is still a monastery today as well as a major centre of Armenian culture, holding some of the most precious texts from Armenia. In the afternoon, we visit the Museo Fortuny. The Fortuny family are most well-known for their fabrics and the invention of modern stage lighting, but they also collected an impressive range of fine and decorative art. The house museum is only open during special themed exhibitions, when modern and contemporary art is beautifully integrated into the Fortuny collection. Evening at leisure (B)

Tuesday 11 June Aquileia and Grado This morning we travel by coach to Aquileia, one of the largest and richest cities in the Roman Empire before it was sacked by Attila the Hun. The city is famous for its extraordinary Roman mosaics in its cathedral, some of which date back to the 1st century CE, and for the rare Roman glassware and jewellery in its archaeological museum. After lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll travel to nearby Grado, a beautiful medieval town founded by refugees from Aquileia with well-preserved medieval churches and a peaceful waterfront. (B, L)

Wednesday 12 June Ca’ Pesaro and Torcello This morning we visit Ca’ Pesaro – the oldest public gallery of modern art in Italy, which built its collection through acquisitions in the first decades of the Biennale, and includes works by Klimt, Rodin, Kandinsky, Morandi and Calder. We then travel to the island of Torcello, one of the first inhabited islands in the lagoon. The magnificent mosaics in the 6th-century basilica, which we visit after lunch at Locanda Cipriani, are testament to the wealth of an island that is just too far from the centre of modern Venice to attract the regular crowds. In the late afternoon, we return to Venice by private launch. Evening at leisure. (B, L) Thursday 13 June Departure

The tour ends after breakfast this morning. Please consult your individual travel documents for your ongoing travel. (B)

HOTEL

 Hotel Al Codega (8 nights)

Academy Travel has been using the charming Al Codega hotel for many years now. It enjoys a perfect position in the centre of the city – minutes from major attractions yet on a quiet enclosed square (a ‘corte’ in Venetian parlance) with no through foot traffic and no noise from the canals or tourists.

The hotel is small, with just 21 rooms, meaning our group will occupy the majority of the rooms. Breakfasts are very good and there is a cosy bar to enjoy an evening drink. The hotel has free wifi. Staff at the hotel are friendly.

In the immediate environs of the hotel are countless cafes and simple restaurants, as well as some of Venice’s premier establishments. La Fenice opera theatre and the church of San Vidal, where there are good concerts of baroque music almost every evening, are within easy walking distance.

Venice’s best shops are at your doorstep, but there are also supermarkets, delicatessens, fruit shops and chemists for more practical needs.

As you are staying in the hotel for 8 nights, you will quickly get a feel for the authentic local restaurants, the best coffee and gelato and other treats that elude most tourists.

The hotel’s website is www.hotelalcodega.com

Right, from top to bottom: Juame Plensa’s “Together” sculpture in Renaissance architect ’s greatest church, San Giorgio Maggiore, 2015; Ian Davenport’s “Giardini Colourful” in the Biennale Giardini, 2017; Lina Condes’ “Extraterrestrial Odyssey” in the courtyard of the Baroque Palazzo Pisani, 2017

Left, from top to bottom: the grand piazza of MART in Rovereto, designed by Mario Botta and inspired by the Pantheon; Roman glass at Aquileia; the entry to the Grand Canal, with the Punta della Dogana and , one of Venice’s most iconic churches

From the Pushkin Museum’s “Man as Bird” exhibition in one of Venice’s medieval palaces, a Collateral Event at the 2017 Biennale Tour Price Fitness Requirements

The tour price is $5,730 per person, twin share (land content of THIS tour only). The supplement for a single room is $1,640 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is GRADE TWO required to secure a place on the tour. It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this Tour Inclusions tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a Included in the tour price star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater  8 nights’ accommodation in the four star Hotel Al fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider Codega in central Venice your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.  Five dinners/lunches as specified in the itinerary  All breakfasts Participation criteria for this tour  All group travel in Venice via water taxi and ferry This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active  All land excursions with private coach lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of  All entrance fees to sites included in itinerary physical activity per day on most days, including longer  Services of a tour leader throughout the tour walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing  Background information, site notes and onsite guidance, stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and including local guides where required a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or several internal flights. Not included You should be able to:  International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below)  keep up with the group at all times  Travel insurance  walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only  Meals not mentioned in itinerary short breaks  Expenses of a personal nature  stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and museums  tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold, Air travel OPTIONS humidity and heat  walk up and down slopes The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour  negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites, we recommend Emirates which offers flights into and out of which are often uneven and unstable Venice from most Australian cities. Please contact us for the  get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or best possible prices on economy, business or first class boat unassisted, possibly with luggage fares. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for  move your luggage a short distance if required all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers. A note about Venice The unique environment of Venice poses its own challenges, Enquiries & bookings with bridges, stairs and historic buildings without lifts. To participate fully in the tour you should be able to ascend and For further information and to secure a place on this tour descend short flights of stairs over bridges at walking pace, please contact Frederick Steyn at Academy Travel on and use some steep flights of stairs in historic sites. The 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email variable water level in the lagoon may require a step of 40- [email protected] 45cm high to get on and off water taxis. If you have any concerns about your ability to participate, please contact us.

Weather on Tour A note for older travellers

Early June is a pleasant time to travel in Northern Italy and If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, the full summer heat and humidity have not yet arrived in it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. Venice. Expect maximum temperatures of 22º – 28ºC during You will have to miss several activities and will not get the the day, and minimums of 14º – 18ºC at night. It is full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until reasonable to expect some days of rain. after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour.