Umbro Apollonio e l’Archivio della Biennale di Venezia (1948-1972)

In 1948 Rodolfo Pallucchini requested the collaboration of Umbro Apollonio to organize the 24th Venice Biennale. In 1949 the critic became the permanent curator of the Historical Archive of Contemporary Art (The Biennale Archive). First of all Apollonio organized the archival documentation of the Biennale and for this reason he thought of a new project for the library and the archive: to realize it he previously entrusted with the architect Carlo Scarpa and then with BBPR Group. After the great disorders of the 1968 edition, in 1970 Apollonio became Bienniale director. He curated with Dietrich Mahlow the special exhibition «Proposal for an experimental exhibition». On this occasion, a strong dialogue with the public was sought, focusing on issues such as art and society, art and production, analysis of seeing. The result was an exhibition holding arts from historical avant-garde to the most recent researches.