Biennale Faces Russia Row
- Latvia has called for Russia’s exclusion from the 2026 Venice Biennale amid controversy over the Russian Pavilion. (europeanconservative.com) - Artnews reports the EU 'intends' to cut funding to the Biennale because of the Russian Pavilion dispute. (artnews.com) - The Biennale responded that it has not violated sanctions by allowing Russia to participate, replying to funders' concerns. (artnews.com)
The European Union says it intends to cut funding to the Venice Biennale after the exhibition readmitted Russia for its 2026 art show. (artnews.com) European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on April 21 that “Russia’s return to the Venice Biennale is morally wrong,” and Politico reported the grant at issue is about €2 million over three years. Russia is set to mount its first official pavilion there since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (politico.eu) Latvia has pushed the fight further, calling for Russia to be barred from the 2026 Biennale and saying its petition had backing from 20 other countries plus Ukraine. Latvia’s Culture Minister Agnese Lāce also said she would boycott the May 9 opening if Russia takes part. (ansa.it) (politico.eu) The dispute centers on the Russian Pavilion, one of the national pavilions in Venice’s Giardini that countries use to stage their own exhibitions inside the Biennale. The 61st International Art Exhibition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. (labiennale.org) Russia’s return reverses a wartime absence. In 2022, the Russian Pavilion team stepped down after the invasion, and in 2024 Russia handed the pavilion to Bolivia for that edition instead of mounting its own national show. (artnews.com) The Biennale has defended its position by saying it has not violated sanctions and that any state recognized by Italy is allowed to participate. In a March 17 statement, it said sanctions on Russia had been “fully complied with.” (ansa.it) (artnews.com) Brussels has taken the opposite view. In a March 10 statement reported by The Art Newspaper, European Commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Glenn Micallef said culture should not be used as a platform for propaganda and warned the grant could be suspended or terminated if Russia participated. (theartnewspaper.com) The argument has spread beyond governments. ARTnews reported that dozens of artists in the main exhibition signed an open letter calling for Russia, Israel and the United States to be excluded, while Ukraine said it had already sanctioned five people linked to the Russian pavilion and was pressing to block visas. (artnews.com) Italy’s government has not spoken with one voice. ANSA reported that Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli urged the Biennale to revoke Russia’s invitation, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini backed the exhibition’s decision and said art should bring people together. (ansa.it) With the opening now weeks away, the immediate question is whether the European Union follows through on the funding threat or whether the Biennale holds its line and opens on May 9 with Russia still on the map. (labiennale.org) (artnews.com)
