Venice giardini
Encyclopedia
The Venice giardini is an area of parkland in the historic city of Venice
which hosts the Venice Art Festival, a major part of the city's cultural biennale. The gardens were created by Napoleon Bonaparte who drained an area of marshland in order to create a public garden on the banks of the Bacino di San Marco which is a narrow stretch of water dividing the gardens from St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace.
The gardens contain 30 permanent pavilions. Each pavilion is allocated to a particular nation and displays works of art by its nationals during the Venice Biennale
. Several of the pavilions were designed by leading architects of the 20th century, including Carlo Scarpa
and Alvar Aalto
.
Some of the pavilions have fallen into a state of decay and there is some criticism of the allocation of pavilions to certain nations who do not appear to have the funds required for structural maintenance and repair.
The gardens are also sometimes criticised for having become a stifling and cramped architectural museum
since the pavilions are constructed in distinct but extremely disparate architectural styles and their collection in a relatively confined space can have a jarring, even irritating, effect leading many to query whether the area could be better used as a more open and relaxed recreational space.
The gardens are also famous for the many cat
s which run wild in the vicinity and for some of the sculptures such as the statue of Garibaldi situated at the entrance.
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
which hosts the Venice Art Festival, a major part of the city's cultural biennale. The gardens were created by Napoleon Bonaparte who drained an area of marshland in order to create a public garden on the banks of the Bacino di San Marco which is a narrow stretch of water dividing the gardens from St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace.
The gardens contain 30 permanent pavilions. Each pavilion is allocated to a particular nation and displays works of art by its nationals during the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
. Several of the pavilions were designed by leading architects of the 20th century, including Carlo Scarpa
Carlo Scarpa
Carlo Scarpa , was an Italian architect, influenced by the materials, landscape, and the history of Venetian culture, and Japan. Scarpa was also a glass and furniture designer of note....
and Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
.
Some of the pavilions have fallen into a state of decay and there is some criticism of the allocation of pavilions to certain nations who do not appear to have the funds required for structural maintenance and repair.
The gardens are also sometimes criticised for having become a stifling and cramped architectural museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
since the pavilions are constructed in distinct but extremely disparate architectural styles and their collection in a relatively confined space can have a jarring, even irritating, effect leading many to query whether the area could be better used as a more open and relaxed recreational space.
The gardens are also famous for the many cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s which run wild in the vicinity and for some of the sculptures such as the statue of Garibaldi situated at the entrance.