His appointment was already welcomed by his British colleagues, who noted his penchant for solving complex intellectual problems: therefore, they believe, his leadership will not become a pretext for promoting his own creativity, but a collective study of a topical issue.
Chipperfield will be the third Briton in this position, but the first architect among them: before him, the biennale was directed by architecture critic Diane Sudjik (2002) and urbanist Ricky Burdett (2006).
The somewhat belated announcement of the curator's name is due to the uncertain position of the President of the Venice Biennale Paolo Baratta. In 1998-2000 and since 2007, he successfully directed the Biennale Foundation, which includes not only architecture and art exhibitions, but also cinematic, theater, music and ballet festivals. Over the years, he managed to master and reconstruct the territories of the Giardini Park and the Arsenal and put the Biennale on a clear, well-thought-out basis.
Nevertheless, last October, at the suggestion of Silvio Berlusconi, the Ministry of Culture replaced him with entrepreneur Giulio Malgara, a friend of the Italian prime minister who had never been interested in the sphere of culture. This provoked widespread protests both in the country and abroad, and signatures began to be collected in support of Baratta, but the protesters had little chance of success.
Now Berlusconi has announced his imminent resignation, and many have concluded that Paolo Baratta will nevertheless remain in office. Whether this forecast will come true, the near future will show.
N. F.
