Venice Biennale opens amid pavilion row

Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli said he will not attend the Venice Biennale preview days or the May 9 opening because Russia is returning. (artnews.com) (euronews.com) La Biennale says the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled *In Minor Keys*, will run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. The exhibition was conceived by Koyo Kouoh, and the Biennale says it will proceed with the support of her family after her death. (labiennale.org) Russia’s pavilion is returning for the first time since 2019 after Russian artists withdrew in 2022 and the country did not mount a show in 2024. Italy’s culture ministry had already pressed the Biennale for urgent details on how the pavilion would be installed and managed under sanctions rules. (ocula.com) (en.ilsole24ore.com) The Biennale’s position is that it cannot bar a state recognized by Italy from participating. It says Russia owns its Giardini pavilion, built in 1914, and only had to notify organizers of its participation. (en.ilsole24ore.com) That stance has already cost money. Il Sole 24 Ore reported on April 23 that the European Commission withdrew €2 million in funding and gave the Biennale 30 days to defend its decision. (en.ilsole24ore.com) The awards fight widened last week when the Biennale’s five-member jury said it would not consider countries whose leaders are charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity. ARTnews reported that the rule effectively excludes Russia and Israel from Golden Lion and Silver Lion consideration. (artnews.com 1) (artnews.com 2) Israel’s foreign ministry called the jury move a “boycott,” and artist Belu-Simion Fainaru said it created a “hostile and degrading environment” for Israel’s participant. The Biennale itself said the jurors acted on their own and that their statement reflected the autonomy the institution guarantees. (artnews.com) The official program remains intact on paper. La Biennale says 100 national participations and 31 collateral events will accompany the main exhibition across the Giardini, the Arsenale and other Venice sites. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) So the 2026 opening is now carrying two parallel stories at once: a major international art exhibition, and a fight over whether national pavilions can be treated as culture when states are at war. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com)