Bernar Venet – 1961… Looking forward!

Key early works by Bernar Venet, one of the world's most important contemporary conceptual artists, will be placed in an art-historical dialogue with paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese as part of a major exhibition in Venice during the 2024 Venice Biennale. 

Bernar Venet – 1961… Looking forward! focuses on Venet's early works in tar and cardboard, demonstrating his early artistic experimentation with these new materials. Also on display from 1963-65 are some of his most iconic works, including his ‘Tar paintings’ and the seminal ‘Tas de charbon (Pile of coal)’, the world’s first artwork created without a set form. These works laid the foundations for a revolutionary body of work that remains relevant today and is fundamental to the understanding of contemporary art.

The exhibition has been curated by Prof. Dr. Beate Reifenscheid, Director of the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz and takes place at the historic Sala Sansoviniana in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, located on Piazza San Marco. It marks the beginning of a world-leading exhibition programme at the Biblioteca planned for 2024, in parallel with the Biennale, devised by its German curator Dirk Geuer.

Bernar Venet – 1961… Looking forward! runs 20 April–16 June 2024 at Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana on on Piazza San Marco, Venice.