Alma Allen named US artist
- After William Eggleston and Barbara Chase‑Riboud declined, the U.S. artist representing America in Venice is Alma Allen. - Financial Times coverage highlights Allen as the selected representative following the refusals. - The selection has prompted debate among tastemakers about the U.S. pavilion’s curatorial direction and reception (ft.com)
Alma Allen will represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale after a chaotic selection process that included at least two refusals. (state.gov) The U.S. Department of State announced Allen’s selection on November 24, 2025, saying his pavilion, “Alma Allen: Call Me the Breeze,” was organized by commissioner Jenni Parido and curator Jeffrey Uslip. The show is scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the U.S. Pavilion in Venice. (state.gov; almaallenvenice2026.org) La Biennale di Venezia says the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys,” opens to the public on May 9, 2026, with pre-opening days on May 6, 7, and 8. The main exhibition was developed by curator Koyo Kouoh before her death in May 2025, and the Biennale said it would carry out her project with her team. (labiennale.org) The Venice pavilion is not just another museum show. The State Department says its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs manages official U.S. participation as part of cultural diplomacy, using art to present “American art and culture on the world stage.” (state.gov) That made the run-up to Allen’s appointment unusually scrutinized. The New York Times reported on April 19, 2026, that the State Department had overhauled the selection process and handed control to a newly formed nonprofit led by Jenni Parido, who previously owned a pet food store and had no established art-world track record. (nytimes.com) Barbara Chase-Riboud said she had been offered the chance to represent the U.S. and declined. In comments first surfaced through Financial Times reporting and then quoted by ARTnews, she said, “this was not the moment,” while ARTnews also reported that William Eggleston had declined an offer, citing the Times’ account and unnamed sources familiar with the matter. (artnews.com; hyperallergic.com) Allen, a Utah-born, Mexico-based sculptor, has worked for more than three decades on abstract, biomorphic forms in materials including walnut burl, volcanic rock, bronze, and Colorado Yule marble. The pavilion website says he is making several new site-responsive sculptures, including one for the forecourt outside the building. (almaallenvenice2026.org) The argument around the pavilion has centered less on Allen’s résumé than on what kind of U.S. art the pavilion should project in 2026. ARTnews quoted dealer Jeff Poe saying Allen’s work would likely be “vanilla, modernist, lovely work,” while Allen told the Financial Times, as quoted by ARTnews, that no one had told him what to make. (artnews.com) The official language around the project has also drawn attention. The State Department said Allen’s exhibition would further the Trump administration’s focus on “showcasing American excellence,” and the pavilion website says the show will coincide with “America 250,” the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. (state.gov; almaallenvenice2026.org) By the time the doors open in Venice on May 9, Allen’s stone and bronze sculptures will be carrying more than one burden: the artist’s own work, and months of argument over who gets to choose what represents America abroad. (labiennale.org; nytimes.com)
