EU Says It ‘Intends’ to Cut Funding to Venice Biennale Because of Russian Pavilion

The European Union has declared its intention to cut its €2 million funding contribution to the Venice Biennale in response to the exhibition's decision to host a Russian national pavilion for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that allowing Russia to exhibit while it "bombs museums, destroys churches and seeks to erase Ukrainian culture" is morally wrong, marking the union's strongest condemnation to date.

Finland Pulls Back Venice Biennale Presence Over Return of Russian Pavilion

Finland’s political leadership has announced it will boycott the Venice Biennale if the Russian Pavilion proceeds with its planned exhibition. While Finnish public officials will still attend to support their own national artists, the Ministry of Education and Culture stated that Russia should be excluded as long as the war in Ukraine continues. This move follows an open letter from 22 European nations and a warning from the European Commission regarding potential sanctions violations.

European Commission Tells Venice Biennale to ‘Clear Its Name’ Regarding Russian Pavilion or Risk Losing $2.3 M. Grant for 2028

The European Commission has issued a 30-day ultimatum to the Venice Biennale, threatening to withdraw a €2 million ($2.3 million) grant for the 2028 edition unless the organization addresses concerns regarding the Russian Pavilion's inclusion in 2026. The Commission alleges that hosting a government-funded delegation violates EU sanctions and provides a cultural platform for Russian state interests amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Biennale's president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, must respond by May 11, just two days after the exhibition's public opening.

Ukraine Sanctions Russian Culture Figures Linked to Country’s Participation in Venice Biennale

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a decree imposing sanctions on five Russian cultural figures involved in the Russian Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale. The sanctioned individuals include pavilion commissioner Anastasia Karneeva, former culture minister Mikhail Shvydkoy, and three performers from the Intrada Ensemble. Ukrainian officials argue that these figures use international art platforms to legitimize Russian aggression and spread state propaganda, specifically citing past activities in occupied territories like Crimea and Donetsk.

Airstrikes, rockets and fields of mustard: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian's picture editors curated a global selection of photographs from March 24, 2026. The images depict scenes of conflict, including a distraught woman in Beirut after an Israeli airstrike, rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel, an Iranian missile embedded in the West Bank, and damage in Tel Aviv from a missile barrage. Other photos show people sheltering in Kyiv during an air raid and firefighters in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

burmese curator flees bangkok china censors art exhibition

The curator of an exhibition at the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre (BACC) fled Thailand two days after its opening, fearing arrest and deportation. The show, titled “Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machine of Authoritarian Solidarity,” featured exiled artists from China, Russia, Iran, and Myanmar and was curated by an artist from Myanmar known as Sai. After receiving warnings from BACC directors that Thai police were seeking his contact information, Sai learned that the Chinese embassy, Thai Foreign Ministry, and Bangkok city officials had pressured the museum over potential diplomatic tensions. The exhibition was censored: black paint covered artists' names and descriptions of Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang; a multimedia piece by Tibetan artist Tenzin Mingyur Paldron was nearly entirely removed; and flags representing Tibet and the Uyghur people were taken down. Sai immediately flew to London and plans to restage the exhibition elsewhere without censorship.

russian imperial faberge egg christies auction record

A rare Fabergé Winter Egg, made of crystal and adorned with 4,000 diamonds, sold for £22.9 million ($30.2 million) at Christie’s London on Tuesday, setting a new auction record for any Fabergé egg. The sale was part of a 48-lot collection titled “The Winter Egg and Important Works by Fabergé from a Princely Collection,” which achieved a total of £27.8 million ($37.1 million). The egg was created for Russia’s imperial family by Alma Theresia Pihl, one of the few women in Fabergé’s St. Petersburg workshop, and fabricated by her uncle, chief jeweler Albert Holmström. It had previously sold at Christie’s in Geneva in 1994 and in New York in 2002.

faberge winter egg christies auction

A rare Fabergé Imperial egg, the Winter Egg, sold for £22.8 million ($30.2 million) at Christie’s London on December 2, 2025, setting a new world auction record for any Fabergé work. The egg was a 1913 Easter gift from Tsar Nicholas II to his mother, Maria Feodorovna, and was designed by Alma Pihl, one of the few women working in Fabergé’s St. Petersburg workshops. It had previously sold at Christie’s in 1994 and 2002, each time setting records.

burmese artist sai exhibition bangkok arts cultural center

An art exhibition at the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre titled “Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machine of Authoritarian Solidarity” was censored after repeated visits by Chinese embassy representatives. The show, featuring exiled artists from China, Russia, Iran, and Burma, had black paint applied over artists' names and descriptions of homelands such as Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. Works by Tibetan artist Tenzin Mingyur Paldron were particularly affected, with television screens showing her films switched off and Tibetan and Uyghur flags removed. Burmese artist Sai told BBC News that since the censorship, he and his wife fled to the UK to seek asylum.

david chichkan ukraine artist dead battle russia

David Chichkan, a Ukrainian artist known for his explicitly political and often censored work, has died at age 39. The Ukrainian culture ministry reported that his heart stopped after he was wounded in battle against Russian troops. Chichkan founded the Libertarian Club of Underground Dialectics in 2014 and staged provocative exhibitions, including one about the 2013–14 Maidan revolution that was vandalized by masked intruders. He enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2024 as a mortar operator, after being unable to serve earlier for health reasons, and continued to create art depicting antiauthoritarian soldiers until his death.

senator john fetterman proposes bill to apply anti money laundering protections to us art market

On July 23, U.S. Senator John Fetterman introduced the Art Market Integrity Act, a bill that would apply anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing regulations to art dealers, auction houses, galleries, advisers, consultants, custodians, museums, collectors, and other intermediaries in the art market. The legislation amends the Bank Secrecy Act, requiring these entities to conduct client due diligence, maintain records, and report suspicious transactions. It exempts artists selling their own work, nonprofits, and businesses with under $50,000 in annual art transactions. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley, Sheldon Whitehouse, Bill Cassidy, Andy Kim, and David McCormick.

trump to withdraw us from unesco for second time

President Donald Trump has announced the United States will withdraw from UNESCO for the second time, effective at the end of 2026. The State Department cited the organization's focus on "divisive social and cultural causes" and its alignment with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals as contrary to America First foreign policy, as well as "anti-Israel rhetoric" within UNESCO. This follows a pattern of Trump pulling the US from multilateral bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization, and continues a fraught history: the US stopped funding UNESCO under Obama over Palestine's membership, left in 2017 under Trump, and rejoined under Biden in 2023.

germany colonial restitution conduct

Germany's culture minister Monika Grütters has released a 130-page code of conduct for museums, titled "Guide to Dealing With Collection Goods From Colonial Contexts," which outlines methods for identifying and confronting colonial-era artifacts in German collections. The guidelines, published by the German Association of Museums, include best practices for provenance research, a list of former and current colonies, and alternatives to full restitution such as long-term loans and joint custody agreements. The release coincides with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation's official ceremony returning nine artifacts to Indigenous Alaskan communities, and follows increased pressure from public outcry over the Humboldt Forum and similar restitution efforts by French president Emmanuel Macron.

president zelenskyy gives pope leo ukrainian icon

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Pope Leo XIV with a Ukrainian religious icon painted on a fragment of an artillery crate from the front lines in the Kharkiv region, following the Pope's inaugural Mass on May 18, 2025. Zelenskyy described the icon, depicting the Virgin Mary and child, as a symbol of life that must be protected, referencing children affected by Russia's invasion. The meeting in Vatican City also included discussions about peace talks, with the Pope offering to host negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Treated as Cannon Fodder

"Als Kanonenfutter behandelt"

Artist Mario Pfeifer has created a new film, "Wutame / Caché," which portrays two men from Cameroon who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine before deserting. The film is currently featured in the "Tirailleurs" exhibition at Berlin's Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW). Pfeifer's work focuses on the men's personal accounts of being deceived, poorly treated, and used as "cannon fodder," employing anonymized voices and altered imagery to protect their identities while allowing their stories to unfold.

Venice Biennale denies it helped ‘circumnavigate’ sanctions against Russia with pavilion

The Venice Biennale is facing allegations that it helped Russia circumvent EU sanctions by allowing the Russian pavilion to operate during preview days, when only arts professionals and press are present. Investigative website Open published emails between Biennale officials and Russian pavilion organizers, including requests for visa assistance for artists and staff. The commissioner, Anastasia Karneeva, is the daughter of a Rostec deputy CEO and runs a consultancy with the daughter of Russia's foreign minister. The Biennale denies any wrongdoing, stating it acted in compliance with international law. Russia has been absent from the Biennale since 2022 but retains a permanent pavilion in the Giardini.

Finland’s political leadership to retract from Venice Biennale over Russian Pavilion

Finland's Minister of Science and Culture, Mari-Leena Talvitie, announced that the country's political leadership will not participate in the upcoming Venice Biennale if Russia's national pavilion is allowed to take part. This decision follows a joint letter signed by Talvitie and 21 other European ministers in March, which deemed Russia's return to the Biennale since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine as 'unacceptable'. Finnish public officials and cultural representatives, however, will still attend to support Finnish artists.

Israel’s Artist Said to Have Threatened Legal Action Before Venice Biennale Jury Resignation

Belu-Simion Fainaru, the artist representing Israel at the 2024 Venice Biennale, allegedly threatened legal action against Biennale officials, accusing them of “racial discrimination” and “antisemitism” after the international prize jury announced it would exclude countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity—effectively barring Israel and Russia from awards. The jury, handpicked by late artistic director Koyo Kouoh, resigned en masse on April 30, citing their earlier statement of intent. Fainaru had previously opposed calls to exclude Israel over its military actions in Gaza, arguing for dialogue over boycotts.

Russia’s Venice Pavilion Will Be Closed to Public for Duration of Biennale

Russia's pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will be closed to the public for the duration of the exhibition, from May 9 to November 22, following escalating controversy over the country's participation. The group show, titled “The tree is rooted in the sky,” will only be open to press and industry insiders during the preview days (May 5–8). The move comes after the International Criminal Court accused Russia of crimes against humanity, leading the Biennale to bar Russia and Israel from competing for awards. Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli has also boycotted the preview and opening ceremony in protest.

Stanislava Kovalčíková “Rubigo” at Kunstverein Freiburg

Stanislava Kovalčíková has opened her first institutional solo exhibition in Germany, titled "Rubigo," at Kunstverein Freiburg. The exhibition features a large-scale installation constructed from red plasticine, which forms an immersive environment housing a series of paintings executed on discarded clock dials salvaged from Prussian church towers.

Alexey Morosov to Represent Kyrgyzstan at 2026 Venice Biennale

Kyrgyzstan has chosen artist Alexey Morosov to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. His pavilion, curated by Geraldine Leardi, will feature a large-scale installation titled BELEK, which explores Kyrgyz nomadic heritage, water as a sacred resource, and the impact of Soviet-era hydro-engineering on the landscape.

The unstoppable creativity of ceramicist Pippin Drysdale

At 82, ceramicist Pippin Drysdale is the subject of a major retrospective, "Infinite Terrain," which opened in December at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA). The exhibition, curated by Isobel Wise, spans Drysdale's prolific 40-year career and was sparked by a chance, spirited encounter with AGWA director Colin Walker. Drysdale, who began ceramics in 1981 after earlier ventures in herbs and paper flowers, studied at Perth Tech, Anderson Ranch in Colorado, and Curtin University, and her work has been deeply influenced by travels to Italy, Siberia, and Russia.

What Did the Golden Lion Die Of? On Judgment and Disavowal at the Venice Biennale

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced it would exclude from prize consideration countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, specifically targeting Russia and Israel. This prompted the Italian culture minister to send inspectors to the Biennale's offices, leading the jury to resign. The Biennale then replaced the Golden Lion with "Visitors' Lions" prizes voted by ticket-holders, immediately making Russia and Israel eligible again. The article traces this crisis to the Biennale's historical structure under Mussolini's 1930 Royal Decree, which established the national pavilion system as a diplomatic concession system designed to serve state power, and notes the recent acceptance of a €50 million donation from Qatar for a new permanent pavilion in the Giardini.

Venice Biennale opens under shadow of protests over Russia and Israel

The 61st Venice Biennale opened under heavy protest as Russia returns to the event for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian feminist collective Femen and Russian punk band Pussy Riot demonstrated outside the Russian pavilion, with activists accusing Russia of using art as a weapon in a hybrid war. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Israel's pavilion, holding banners reading 'No artwashing genocide' and demanding Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza. The Biennale's international jury resigned last month, refusing to award prizes to countries led by figures subject to ICC arrest warrants, namely Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called Russia's participation 'morally wrong' and threatened to cut €2 million in funding, while culture ministers from 22 European countries urged organizers to reconsider.

Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation

The Venice Biennale, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art exhibitions, opens its most contested edition in memory without a jury after the jury resigned in protest over the participation of Israel and Russia, both under investigation by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses. Protests have erupted outside the Israeli and Russian pavilions, with demonstrators clashing with police, while feminist groups from Ukraine and Russia converged on the Russian Pavilion and Palestinians remembered artists killed in Gaza. The Biennale has replaced the jury with a public vote via email, with winners announced at the close on November 22.

Births, deaths and a first kiss: life near the frontline in Ukraine – in pictures

British-Iranian artist Aria Shahrokhshahi's long-term photographic project "Wet Ground" captures daily life in Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion, focusing on moments of youth, subculture, and fragile continuity rather than traditional war imagery. The series, developed through repeated stays and volunteering since 2019, includes scenes from teenage discos, hospital wards, a birth during a missile attack, and a first kiss near the frontline, all shot in stark black and white.

German Provocateur Artist Sentenced to 8.5 Years in Prison in Russia After Mocking Putin

German carnival float artist Jacques Tilly has been sentenced in absentia to 8.5 years in a Russian prison. A Moscow court convicted him on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military and insulting religious feelings due to his satirical floats depicting President Vladimir Putin, including one showing Putin in a blood-filled bathtub painted like the Ukrainian flag.

Erster Teil des Pergamonmuseum öffnet im Juni 2027

The first section of Berlin's Pergamon Museum will reopen to the public on June 4, 2027, after years of renovation. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) announced the date, ending months of uncertainty. The museum has been completely closed since autumn 2023 for comprehensive refurbishment, and the reopening will finally make the famous Pergamon Altar accessible again. However, the south wing, housing the Ishtar Gate and Babylonian Processional Way, will remain closed until 2037, with full museum access expected that year.

Jury for Venice Biennale's art prize resigns after refusing to recognise Israeli, Russian artists

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale art exhibition resigned just over a week before the May 9 prize ceremony, after announcing they would not consider artists from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges—an apparent reference to Russia and Israel. The jury included president Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. In response, the Biennale established two Visitors’ Lions to be awarded by ticket-holder vote, postponed the awards to November 22, and reaffirmed that all national participations remain eligible, effectively reinstating Russian and Israeli artists.

Street art festival transforms Morocco's capital into open-air gallery

The 11th JIDAR Rabat Street Art Festival has transformed Morocco's capital into an open-air gallery, with artists from Ecuador, South Africa, Peru, Russia, and Morocco painting large-scale murals on buildings. Works include Oscar Medina's bird clutching the sun and moon, Keya Tama's lion with Arabic script, and Mohamed Roshdi's portrait of a woman holding fish. The festival runs until 27 April.