Venedig-Biennale-Chef unter Druck
Just before the opening of the Venice Art Biennale, its president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is facing mounting criticism after the entire jury resigned. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli accused Buttafuoco of pursuing a form of "parallel foreign policy" by readmitting Russia to the six-month exhibition, calling him a "victim of a pacifist fantasy." The opening ceremony and the traditional Golden Lion awards have been canceled; prizes will now be decided by visitor vote at the end of the Biennale in November.
This crisis matters because the Venice Biennale is one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art events, alongside Documenta in Kassel. The 61st edition has become entangled in global politics—first by including Russian art for the first time since 2022 amid the Ukraine war, then by the jury's decision to exclude both Russia and Israel from prize consideration. The conflict between the Biennale's leadership and Italy's right-wing government threatens the institution's credibility and highlights the growing tension between artistic independence and state control.