The Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennial was built in spring 1934 based on plans by Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956). As of 1897 Hoffmann was a founding member of the Vienna Secession and later the Wiener Werkstätte. The pavilion can be seen as a continuation of the structural style of the Secession building in Vienna (designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich). The simple underlying structure (regular right-angled main rooms with overhead lighting, contrast between the two main rooms for paintings, the two cabinets for prints and the sculpture area) was dubbed modern and trail blazing by the international press in 1934. This was the first pavilion at the Venice Biennial that was designed by a leading Modernist architect. It was also Josef Hoffmann’s last building for the international stage.

After Austria was annexed by the Third Reich, the pavilion was not used at the 1938, 1940 or 1942 biennials. Austrian painters and sculptors who cooperated with the Nazi regime exhibited their work in the German pavilion.

From 1948 to 1956, Josef Hoffmann acted as the first post-War Commissioner of the Austrian contribution to the Venice Biennial, which was now again based in the Austrian pavilion. The presentation of 1948 in particular, which contrasted the works of Egon Schiele to those of Fritz Wotruba, set international standards. ...attracted great attention world-wide...

In the 1960s, various individual measures were undertaken to redesign the pavilion. The shutters at both entrances were replaced by glass French doors. Ferdinand Kitt’s adornments at the entrance to the courtyard were removed. Climatic conditions in Venice contributed to the rapid deterioration of the building. On the 50th anniversary of its construction, the pavilion was restored by Hans Hollein in line with the original dimensions and entrance area providing a view into the courtyard (parallel to the first large exhibition on Vienna around 1900 in Palazzo Grassi).

In 1972, invited artists Hans Hollein and Oswald Oberhuber (Commissioner Wilfried Skreiner) established the tradition, which has been continued almost unbroken since the 1990s, of regarding the pavilion as a spatial artistic concept and of changing it with one installation for the duration of the Biennial.

The pavilion belongs to the Republic of Austria and is managed by the Kunstsektion. The minister responsible (1997-2006 secretary of state) names a commissioner of the Austrian contribution for every art biennial, who then presents an artistic concept.

In the form of Herbert Brandl, in 2007 a painter will again be exhibiting his work in the Austrian pavilion for the first time since 1988.