Venice Biennale, Telegraph

The Venice Biennale, now 112 years old, is the oldest, biggest and by far the best known of all international art jamborees.

Founded in 1895, it was the bright idea of the Venetian civic authorities. In the years up the First World War, the national pavilions began to appear in the Giardini or municipal gardens - the Belgian, in 1907, being the first.

At first, numerous artists represented each country. But by the 1960s, it had become the practice for each country to be represented by a small group, or more often a single artist.

In recent decades, the Biennale has spread to the buildings of the Arsenale, where a huge exhibition, the Aperto, is organised by a guest curator, this year the American Robert Storr.

As more and more countries have taken part, national pavilions have spread beyond the gardens and fringe shows abound.