1959
The Paris Biennale was founded by André Malraux, then Minister of Culture and a visionary writer. The aim was ambitious: to provide Paris with a world-renowned artistic event, capable of showcasing young international creation and experimenting with future art forms.

From its first edition, inaugurated on October 3 on the forecourt of the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris, the Biennale made a strong impression with « Méta-Matic 17 » by Jean Tinguely, a machine sculpture that produced drawings on a production line, considered avant-garde at the time. Paris thus joined the exclusive circle of major biennales, alongside Venice and São Paulo.

1971
The institution, having become somewhat rigid, was reinvented by exhibition curator Georges Boudaille. Inspired by Documenta in Kassel, he injected new life into the Biennale, making it more eclectic and contemporary. Moved to the Parc Floral de Vincennes, the Biennale distinguished itself by recognizing photography and video as full-fledged art forms for the first time.


1985
Architect Jean Nouvel used the Biennale’s budget to restore the Grande Halle de la Villette. The Biennale went bankrupt, leaving a deficit of 10 million euros. Jacques Lang, then Minister of Culture, attempted a revival in 1987, but the effort was in vain. After numerous twists and turns, the once-prestigious Paris Biennale fell into the public domain. The organizing association was liquidated, marking the end of an era.

1989
The Ministry of Culture turned the page by creating the Lyon Biennale, thus definitively burying the idea of reviving the Paris Biennale.
1993
A new hope emerged when Minister of Culture Philippe Douste-Blazy asked Alfred Pacquement to revive the Biennale. Despite meetings and studies financed with public money, no concrete project materialized, leaving the Biennale in uncertainty.
2000
A decisive turning point occurred when invisual artist Alexandre Gurita took over the Paris Biennale, which had fallen into the public domain. He transformed the event into a strategy serving new art forms. The Biennale, now without artworks, exhibitions, curators, or spectators, baffled institutions and professionals, eliciting both admiration and controversy.
2004
After protests from the Ministry of Culture and numerous art professionals, the 14th Paris Biennale was held discreetly. Despite the obstacles, it managed to present the work of thirty participants from ten different countries. A 540-page catalog was published with a preface by Paul Ardenne.


2006
Under the impetus of artist Sylvain Soussan, the duration of the Biennale was extended to two years. The Paris Biennale then became an institution « in real time and place, » adapting to artists and their practices. The 15th edition, held from 2006 to 2008, introduced « All Territories » and « No Fixed Territory » projects, redefining the Biennale as a horizontal and learning institution.

2008
Jean-Baptiste Farkas launched the Amicale of Paris Biennale, with weekly meetings addressing different issues each time.
2009
Recognizing the crucial role of education in art, the Biennale established the Paris Biennale College in 2008 with the idea of creating a new kind of art school. The first relocation took place in Cyprus, marking a step towards a more horizontal institution, where the artist determines the place and manner of their expression.

2010
The Ministry of Culture began to timidly support the Paris Biennale, acknowledging its major role in art. Following the initiative of artist Ricardo Mbarkho, the first relocation took place in Nicosia that same year.
2011
The Paris Biennale relocated to New York, collaborating with prestigious institutions such as Yale University and the Queens Museum of Art. Influential figures in the art world, like Robert Storr, became involved, giving the Biennale an international dimension.

2012
The Paris Biennale reactivated the Institute of Advanced Studies in Plastic Arts (Iheap), an artistic institution founded by the City of Paris in 1989 with Pontus Hulten as its director. With the help of the Ministry of Culture, the institute was granted premises at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, marking a new chapter in the Biennale’s history.
2015
The National Audiovisual Institute (INA) created a section dedicated to the Paris Biennale at the National Library of France, digitizing works and documents dating from 1959 to 2013. The Biennale also launched an Iheap in New York, becoming the first French art school abroad.
2016
In December, the institute changed its name to the National Art School of Paris (ENDA). The Biennale founded the Alternative Art School Fair (AASF) in New York, the first gathering dedicated to alternative art education. AASF brought together for the first time what are known as « alternative art schools » with the aim of strengthening their status and action in a uniformized artistic educational landscape. 40 schools from 17 countries participated. A catalog was published.

That same year, from June 27 to July 3, the Paris Biennale took place in Beirut in partnership with Lebanese institutions and structures. This Biennale was conceived as a joint project by Iheap (Institut des hautes études en arts plastiques) researchers.

2017
The Paris Biennale implemented the concept of institutional capture, which revived it and reclaimed the Revue de Paris created in 1829. The idea was to create a medium aimed at supporting unconventional artistic practices. That same year, the Biennale relocated to Guatemala and began preparing an edition in Venezuela for 2019. The Biennale also founded the Center for Archives of Art History (CARHHA).

2018
The Biennale initiated the World Forum of Art Economies (FoméA), exploring alternative economic models to the dominant system based on the art market, patronage, and subsidies. The first edition was held at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris.

That year, artist Gary Bigot launched the Paris Biennale in Luxembourg, which consisted of an application allowing users to geolocate their breaths on the world map. The theme of this Biennale was titled « The art that I breathe, you will one day inhale. »

2020
The Paris Biennale launched a unique award, randomly awarded by artificial intelligence, recognizing practices that escape the production of art objects. It is the first democratic and objective award in the art world.
2021
Corina Chutaux Mila published the first book on Invisual Art, « Aesthetics of Invisual Art, » thereby structuring a theoretical corpus for these new forms of art. The book was launched at the Palais de Tokyo.

2022
Corina Chutaux Mila initiated the first conference on Invisual Art, organized at the Sorbonne, which deepened the invisual practices proposed by the Paris Biennale’s partner artists.

2024
The Paris Biennale is preparing several relocations, including the Paris Biennale in Bangkok and Poland, scheduled for 2025. These new editions promise to further explore the boundaries of art.