The Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (English)

Edited by Réjean Legault with contributions by Susanna Caccia Gherardini, Karen Colby-Stothart, Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, Serena Maffioletti, Cammie McAtee, Franco Panzini, and Andrea Pertoldeo.

This richly illustrated book offers a detailed account of the history and evolution of the Canada Pavilion, built in 1958 in the gardens of the Venice Biennale.

Complete with reproductions of archival material including photographs, drawings, and maps, along with a portfolio from contemporary photographers, this commemorative publication includes essays on: the cultural and political context in which the Canada Pavilion committee worked; the concept and construction of the building and the links with architect Enrico Peressutti and the BBPR partnership; the Pavilion’s role in the postwar Italian cultural context and its fortunes from its inauguration in 1958 to the restoration in 2018; the restoration project itself, and finally, the relationship between the Pavilion and the Biennale Gardens.

Following the roles of key players involved in the design and construction of the building, to its multifaceted use over the past sixty years in exhibiting the work of some of Canada’s most talented artists and architects, The Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale illuminates the Pavilion’s great importance in the context of modern architecture, art and culture, and international political diplomacy.

Hardcover | 192 pages
24 x 28 cm (9.4 x 11 in.)
Publication Date: 2020