2017 Venice Biennale Catalogues Reviewed: Marsilio, Hatje Cantz, Mousse Publishing Lead

Marco Enrico Giacomelli reviews the most notable catalogues from the 2017 Venice Biennale. Marsilio printed the main Biennale catalogue (Viva Arte Viva, edited by Christine Macel, €85) and the Italian Pavilion catalogue (curated by Cecilia Alemani, €35, designed by Leftloft), plus Damien Hirst's colossal catalogue Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable (€80, with Marsilio and Other Criteria). Hatje Cantz produced catalogues for the national pavilions of the Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, and the United States, as well as a monograph on Roberto Cuoghi (€58) and one on Peter Miller. The Austrian pavilion catalogue focuses on Erwin Wurm's One Minute Sculptures (€49.80), while the US pavilion catalogue emphasizes critical essays on Mark Bradford (€45, by the Baltimore Museum of Art). Mousse Publishing handled pavilions for Canada, Ireland, Nordic Countries, Finland, Malta, UAE, and Iraq; the Canadian catalogue features Geoffrey Farmer with 200 drawings. Skira produced a book on Ettore Sottsass for the Fondazione Cini's Le stanze del vetro series (€28). Thames & Hudson published Tracey Moffatt's My Horizon catalogue for the Australian Pavilion ($40). Fondazione Prada issued a two-volume box set for The boat is leaking. The captain lied (€70), with contributions by Alexander Kluge, Anna Viebrock, and Thomas Demand. MER published the catalogue for Intuition at Museo Fortuny (€65), curated by Axel Vervoordt. Phaidon had no presence at the Biennale.