Venice Biennale Row
Russia has been allowed back into its historic pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale — a move that prompted Italy’s culture minister to call for a government board resignation and threatens EU funding suspension for the Biennale travelandtourworld.com artnews.com gazetaexpress.com.
The 61st Venice Biennale is scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with La Biennale listing 99 national participations for the edition. (labiennale.org) (labiennale.org) Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli said he had “lost confidence” in government representative Tamara Gregoretti, noting she has been on the Biennale board since March 2024 and alleging she failed to alert the ministry about the pavilion matter. (artnews.com) In a March 10 joint statement, European commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Glenn Micallef warned the Commission could suspend or terminate an ongoing EU grant for the Biennale, and other reporting put the potential suspension at roughly €2 million. (ec.europa.eu) (news.artnet.com) The Russian national project is titled “The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,” curated/commissioned by Anastasia Karneyeva, and organizers say it will involve more than 30 participating artists and interdisciplinary events. (artnews.com) A formal letter from culture ministers in 22 European countries — including France, Germany and Poland — urged Biennale leadership to rethink the decision, while dissident groups such as Pussy Riot and Ukrainian officials including Andrii Sybiha publicly condemned the pavilion’s reinstatement. (politico.eu) (artnews.com) Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the foundation’s move, calling the exhibition “a space of truce” and the institution released a statement rejecting “any form of exclusion or censorship,” even as EU officials said they would “examine further action.” (politico.eu) (ec.europa.eu)
