Venice Biennale Jury Resigns Over Russia Row, Upending Awards Nine Days Before Opening

The entire five-member international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale resigned on April 30, 2026, nine days before the exhibition's scheduled May 9 opening, according to BBC News. The resignations came amid a dispute over Russia's return to the Biennale for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, reported the Associated Press. Biennale organizers announced that the opening awards ceremony has been canceled and replaced with a visitor-voted process at the exhibition's close in November.

The Details

In a statement quoted by The Art Newspaper, the jury said: "As of 30 April 2026, we, the international jury selected by Koyo Kouoh, Artistic Director of the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia In Minor Keys, have resigned." The five-member panel was led by Brazilian jury president Solange Farkas, according to The Art Newspaper.

The jury's decision was consistent with a position it had announced the previous week. On April 23, the panel declared it would not award prizes to countries whose leaders are charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity, according to The Art Newspaper. That position was broadly understood to apply to Russia and Israel, both of whose leaders face ICC charges. The jury's resignation followed rather than reversed that earlier stance.

It is important to note that neither Russia nor Israel was barred from participating in the exhibition itself. Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the decision to allow Russia to participate, telling the Associated Press that keeping national pavilions open is consistent with the institution's founding principles. Organizers said in a statement quoted by The Guardian: "This is consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship."

On April 29, Italian culture ministry officials traveled to Venice to gather information about Russia's reopened pavilion and the Biennale's handling of the issue, according to BBC News, The Art Newspaper, and the Associated Press. The resignations followed the next day, though Italian officials and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did not confirm a direct causal link between the inspection and the jury's decision.

Meloni said the government's position on Russia's participation is "a decision not shared by the government," according to BBC News, while acknowledging that the Biennale operates as an autonomous institution. The EU had previously withdrawn a 2 million euro grant over Russia's return, calling the move morally wrong, according to BBC News and The Guardian.

Context

Russia did not participate in the 2022 Venice Biennale after its artists and curator withdrew in protest following the invasion of Ukraine, leaving the Russian pavilion empty that year, according to BBC News and The Art Newspaper. In 2024, Russia lent its pavilion to Bolivia. The country's return to its own space at the 61st Biennale reignited a debate the art world had expected to revisit.

Russia owns its pavilion in Venice's Giardini, and Biennale organizers have argued that as an open institution they do not have the authority to bar a recognized country from participating in its own facilities, according to BBC News and the Associated Press. That position put the organization at odds with both Italy's government and the European Union, whose financial objection materialized in the withdrawal of the 2 million euro grant.

The 61st Biennale, titled In Minor Keys, was curated according to plans by Koyo Kouoh, who died before the event opened, according to The Guardian and The Art Newspaper. The exhibition is one of the world's oldest and most important contemporary art showcases, with around 100 national pavilions alongside the main curated show, according to the Associated Press.

What's Next

With the international jury no longer in place, the original awards ceremony planned for May 9 will not proceed, according to The Guardian and The Art Newspaper. Biennale organizers announced that two prizes will instead be decided by visitor popular vote, with winners presented on November 22, the exhibition's closing day.

The 61st Venice Biennale is still scheduled to open on May 9, 2026, according to BBC News and The Guardian. Whether the jury dispute further affects the exhibition's programming or Italy's relationship with Biennale organizers was not addressed in statements from either the government or the institution as of April 30.