Protests at the Venice Film Festival

Summer 1968: the social and political upheaval in this watershed year of the postwar era begins to also have an impact on the art world, reaching the Venice Biennale. Artists of all nations rebel against the fascist statutes still in place in the organization of the event in Venice, calling for the abolition of the official awards and the sales office of the Biennale. After heated clashes between artists and police–posted in all the museums and strategic points around the city–the Art Biennale opens with many half-empty pavilions, and with works intentionally defaced or turned around by the artists themselves. The protests continue through the summer, and in August they spread to the Film Festival as well.