In different sources you can find different versions of the origin of the word "Biennale": from the Latin language or Italian. Obviously, linguists have the right to different points of view, because in the Italian language there are a lot of Latinisms.
Biennale - what is it?
Where did the word come from? It comes from the Latin "bis" + "annuus". It turns out the biennale - what is it? Translated into Russian - an event that occurs once every two years.
The second version says that the word biennale (spelling variant - “biennale”) was formed from the Italian adjective biennale, that is, “biennial”. There is also a triennial. As you guessed, it takes place every three years. The word "biennale" is not inclined.
Now you will not be wondering: "Biennale - what is it?". But another arises: what kind of event can be held once every two years? Remember that a biennale can be a festival, an exhibition, or even a competition. In the first case, the noun is masculine: the next biennale has passed. And if used to designate an exhibition, then the word is consistent according to the female gender: the architectural biennale has ended.
Where did the biennale first take place?
This significant event took place in Venice in 1895. The organizers decided to repeat the project every two years: visitors and participants liked it so much. The first biennale in Venice was attended by representatives of 16 countries. And later it gained popularity around the world - today the number of participants tends to a hundred. Since the second half of the twentieth century, the Venice Biennale is the main venue for the presentation of modern art.
During the Second World War, an exhibition in the Italian city of canals and bridges was not held. And then they decided to resume. And in 1948 the first post-war biennale took place. The organizers rightly decided that art can heal wounds and scars, help rethink history and leads to dialogue between peoples.
The breakthrough in 1975 was made by the organizers of the architectural biennale, which became the second largest after the art. And since then they began to carry out activities related to other forms of art, for example, cinema, theater, music. You can guess for yourself that this is a biennale if the project takes place once every two years.
Do such large-scale projects take place in Russia?
Yes, in Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Kaliningrad and the capital. At the Moscow Biennale they introduce modern art. Today it is the largest and most influential exhibition in the Russian Federation.
Around the main project, which is the core of the Biennale, parallel programs are combined.