EU threatens Biennale funding

The European Commission has warned the Venice Biennale it could lose European Union funding over plans to reopen the Russian pavilion. (euronews.com) Euronews and ARTnews reported that the Commission’s education and culture agency sent Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco a letter giving the institution 30 days to respond before Brussels decides whether to suspend or terminate an ongoing grant worth about €2 million. (euronews.com) (artnews.com) The funding threat grew out of a March 10 statement by Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who said Russia’s return was “not compatible” with the European Union’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Politico reported that the Commission said it would examine “further action” on the grant if the pavilion went ahead. (ec.europa.eu) (politico.eu) The Venice Biennale is scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, and Russia appears on the official list of participating countries for the 61st International Art Exhibition after sitting out the 2022 and 2024 editions. ARTnews reported that Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s delegate for international cultural exchanges, said the pavilion would reopen in May. (artnews.com) (euronews.com) The immediate dispute is about money, but the larger fight is about whether a Russian state pavilion can appear at a European flagship art event while European sanctions remain in place over the invasion of Ukraine. On March 10, culture ministers from 22 European countries, including France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine, urged the Biennale to reconsider Russia’s participation. (politico.eu) (frame-finland.fi) Pressure then moved from governments to lawmakers. The Art Newspaper reported on March 27 that at least 34 members of the European Parliament signed a letter calling for all European Union funding to be suspended if Russia’s participation proceeds. (theartnewspaper.com) Biennale organizers have defended the decision as a matter of institutional rules and artistic openness. In a statement quoted by The Art Newspaper, the institution said any country recognized by the Italian Republic can participate if it owns a pavilion in the Giardini, and that the Biennale “rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art.” (theartnewspaper.com) Russia has framed the pavilion as proof it has not been cut off from international culture. ARTnews reported that Shvydkoy said Russia was not “returning” because it had “never left” Venice, and said the 2026 project would involve more than 50 young musicians, poets and philosophers from Russia and other countries. (artnews.com) Critics say that argument ignores how the Kremlin uses culture abroad. The Art Newspaper reported that Pussy Riot called the reopening a “serious blow to Europe’s security,” while Ukrainian officials and lawmakers have argued that a Russian state pavilion would serve as soft power during wartime. (theartnewspaper.com 1) (theartnewspaper.com 2) The Biennale now has a month to answer Brussels, with the exhibition due to open less than a month after that. The question is no longer only whether the Russian pavilion opens in Venice, but whether the Biennale can keep European money if it does. (euronews.com)