The Best of 2024: 60th Venice Biennale in Pictures

Jeffrey Gibson, American Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 
By PAUL LASTER, December 28, 2024

After touring the globe to explore art fairs, exhibitions, and biennials, Independent Curator Renée Riccardo and I recently reflected on the best things we saw and experienced in 2024. The 60th Venice Biennale was at the top of our list.

In April, we spent ten days previewing “Foreigners Everywhere,” curated by Adriano Pedrosa, in the Giardini and Arsenale and the many collateral shows at the city’s churches, palazzos, museums, galleries, and shops.

We created visual diaries by composing photos of the art while sharing our thoughts about the exhibits with friends and acquaintances we met along the way. Reflecting on the images and compiling them into a report, we relived those seminal moments, crystallizing them into sixty pictures to capture the spirit of the time.

Scroll through to experience some of our favorite artworks and exhibitions during the Venice Biennale in pictures. WM

 

 Renée Riccardo arriving in Venice. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Willem de Kooning, Gallerie dell'Accademia. Photo © Paul Laster

 

 Julie Mehretu, Palazzo Grassi. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Mark Bradford, Hauser & Wirth Publishers. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Eva Jospin, Museo Fortuny. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Daniel Arsham, Chiesa di Santa Caterina. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

James Lee Byars and Seung-taek Lee, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Walton Ford, Ateneo Veneto. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Reza Aramesh, Chiesa San Fantin. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Yinka Shonibare, Nigeria Pavilion, Palazzo Canal. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Precious Okoyomon, Nigeria Pavilion, Palazzo Canal. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Breasts, curated by Carolina Pasti, ACP Palazzo Franchetti. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Breasts, curated by Carolina Pasti, ACP Palazzo Franchetti. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Yuko Mohri, Japanese Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Yuko Mohri, Japanese Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Eva Koťátková, Czech Republic Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Sandra Gamarra Heshiki, Spanish Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Márton Nemes, Hungarian Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

 Jeffrey Gibson, American Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Jeffrey Gibson, American Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Guerreiro do Divino Amor, Swiss Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo
 

 Art Week Tokyo Editorial Director Andrew Maerkle and AWT Cofounder and Take Ninagawa gallery owner Atsuko Ninagawa, Canadian Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Kapwani Kiwanga, Canadian Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Julien Creuzet, French Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Unique Design X Group Founder and CEO Morgan Morris and Independent Curator Jerome Sans at the French Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Anna Jermolaewa, in collaboration with Ukrainian choreographer Oksana Serheieva, Austrian Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Aleksandar Denić, Serbian Pavilion, Giardini. Photo © Paul Laster

 

 Alex Katz, Fondazione Giorgio Cini. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore. Photo © Paul Laster

 

  Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Arsenale. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Daniel Otero Torres, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Arsenale. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Mario Tozzi and Domenico Gnoli, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Arsenale. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Aravani Art Project, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Arsenale. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Arsenale. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Beatriz Milhazes, Applied Arts Pavilion, Arsenale. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Mounira Al Solh, Lebanese Pavilion, Arsenale. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Manal AlDowayan, Saudi Arabian Pavlion, Arsenale. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Lee Bae, Fondation d'Entreprise Wilmotte and Foundation Hansol of Culture. Photo © Paul Laster

 

 Jaume Plensa, Chiesa di San Gallo. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Jean Cocteau, Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Photo © Paul Laster

 

F Taylor Colantonio, Object & Thing, with D.H. office San Marco. Photo © Paul Laster

 

George Petrides, San Giorgio dei Greci. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Tony Cragg, Olivetti Shop. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Independent Founder and CEO Elizabeth Dee, Harry's Bar. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Zeng Fanzhi, Scuola Grande della Misericordia. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Federico Solmi, Palazzo Dona' Dalle Rose. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Federico Solmi, Palazzo Dona' Dalle Rose. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Mariko Mori, Palazzo Diedo. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Robert Indiana, Procuratie Vecchie. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Pierre Huyghe, Punta della Dogana. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Yu Hong, Chiesetta della Misericordia. Photo © Paul Laster

 

 Jim Dine, Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Gallerist Daniel Templon, San Marco. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Francesco Vezzoli, Museo Correr. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Shahzia Sikander, Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Ewa Juszkiewicz, Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso. Photo © Paul Laster

 

Osman Yousefzada, Palazzo Franchetti. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

 Sarah Sze, Victoria Miro. Photo © Renée Riccardo

 

Paul Laster and art critic Richard Vine discussing the Biennale while waiting to depart Venice. Photo © Renée Riccardo