Biennale funding at risk

The European Commission has opened a procedure that could freeze or revoke European Union funding for the Venice Biennale over plans to reopen Russia’s pavilion in 2026. (ec.europa.eu) (euronews.com) A letter sent by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency to Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco gave the foundation 30 days to clarify its position, according to Euronews. The funding at stake is a grant worth €2 million running through 2028. (euronews.com) Brussels had already warned on 10 March that Russia’s participation was “not compatible” with the European Union’s response to Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef said the Commission would examine suspending or terminating the grant if the Biennale went ahead. (ec.europa.eu) The dispute centers on the 61st International Art Exhibition, which is scheduled to open on 9 May 2026 in Venice. Russia’s pavilion has been closed since 2022, after artists and curators withdrew following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (euronews.com) (artnews.com) Latvia’s culture minister, Agnese Lāce, led a joint appeal from ministers in 22 countries asking the Biennale to reconsider Russia’s participation. The signatories included France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine. (km.gov.lv) That letter was addressed to Buttafuoco and the Biennale board, with Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli copied for information. The ministers said Russia remains under European and international sanctions and that giving it a major cultural platform would send “a deeply troubling signal.” (km.gov.lv) Russia’s side has argued that this is not a “return” because the pavilion itself never left Venice. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s delegate for international cultural exchanges, told ARTnews the 2026 project would feature more than 50 young musicians, poets and philosophers from Russia and other countries. (artnews.com) The Biennale has said national participations are organized by the countries themselves rather than selected by the institution, according to ARTnews. In Italy, the Commission’s move has also exposed divisions inside Giorgia Meloni’s government, with Giuli opposing Russia’s presence and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini denouncing Brussels’ pressure. (artnews.com) (euronews.com) The next test is whether the Biennale changes course before the Commission’s deadline expires. If it does not, a fight over one national pavilion could cost one of Europe’s biggest art institutions a European Union grant. (ec.europa.eu) (euronews.com)