The 58th Venice Biennale Exhibition: Meet Curator Ralph Rugoff

This year’s prestigious Venice Biennale’s centerpiece exhibition, its 58th, has been curated by Ralph Rugoff, an American art critic who became director of London’s Hayward Gallery.

By Michael KurcfeldJune 5, 2019

This year’s prestigious Venice Biennale’s centerpiece exhibition, its 58th, has been curated by Ralph Rugoff, an American art critic who became director of London’s Hayward Gallery. Seeking to assemble artists he felt somehow captured our turbulent, many would say perilous zeitgeist, Rugoff wryly titled the show “May You Live In Interesting Times.” He explains why in this video, shot on-site during the festival’s opening week, and takes us on a tour of a few of the show’s highlights. Uniquely, half of the show's artists are women. The Venice Biennale, which began in 1895 and now features artists from 87 countries, will be on view through November 24, 2019.

Image: Rugoff with Paolo Baratta, the President of the Venice Biennale, seated on a piece by Anthea Hamilton in the Biennale's Giardini gallery.