Dutch pavilion, National pavilion in Castello district, Italy
The Dutch Pavilion, known as the Rietveld Pavilion, is a square-plan exhibition building in the Giardini of Castello, Venice. Gerrit Rietveld designed it in 1953 in the Nieuwe Bouwen style; it opened in 1954. Its few interior walls stand perpendicular to the outer wall, and volumes of differing heights let daylight in from above.
The pavilion was first built in 1912 and later redesigned in 1953 by architect Gerrit Rietveld following Dutch modernist principles. This rebuilding shaped its current form and design approach.
Since 1995 the Mondriaan Foundation has appointed a curator for each Dutch entry, shown in odd years as contemporary art and in even years as architecture. The 2022 presentation by Melanie Bonajo moved to the Chiesetta della Misericordia, while the Rietveld building hosted the Estonian exhibition.
The pavilion stands in the Giardini, the Biennale's main exhibition grounds in Castello. In even years it hosts architecture exhibitions, in odd years contemporary art. The 1995 restoration added invisible audiovisual networks and underfloor heating to control dampness.
The building was designed by Gerrit Rietveld, one of the most influential Dutch designers of the 20th century, giving this place special architectural importance. His work in Venice remains an example of modernist clarity and functional design.
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