One day after Art Dubai announced that it would reschedule its 2020 edition (from its original March 25 to 28 dates) due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Venice Architecture Biennale revealed that it, too, will be forced to postpone its upcoming edition. According to a report by The Art Newspaper, the biennale, originally set to open May 23, will now open on August 29; the fair will keep its original closing date, November 29, shortening its planned run.
After coronavirus-related deaths in the country rose to 79, the Italian government said on Wednesday that all schools and universities will close through March 15. Museums and cultural sites in Venice, Milan, Turin, and other northern Italian cities have already been shuttered for several weeks.
Related Articles
In a statement posted to its website, the Venice Architecture Biennale said that the postponement is “a consequence of the recent precautionary measures in the matter of mobility taken by the governments of a growing number of countries around the world, which will have a domino effect on the movement of people and works in coming weeks.”
The 17th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale, titled “How will we live together?” and curated by architect Hashim Sarkis, plans to bring together 114 participants from 46 countries.
Other international fairs, including the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht, SP-Arte in São Paulo, and Art Paris had not postponed or canceled as of Wednesday. The Armory Show, which opens to members of the press today, has released a statement on the virus’s potential impact on its exhibition.
Some major events, exhibitions, and sales around the world have, however, already been interrupted in recent months by the coronavirus outbreak. Art Basel Hong Kong called off its 2020 edition, art institutions across Japan are experiencing closures, Sotheby’s moved a modern and contemporary sale from Hong Kong to New York, and the Louvre temporarily closed this weekend as museum staff met to discuss preparations for the outbreak in France. According to the New York Times, the London Book Fair has been canceled.