Venice Biennale jury resigns in protest over Russia's participation amid EU and Italian backlash

Key facts

• The five-member international jury resigned on April 24, 2025, days before the Biennale's May 9 opening.
• The jury included president Solange Farkas and members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi.
• Italian Culture Ministry officials visited the Biennale on April 23 to gather information about the Russian Pavilion's reopening.
• The European Commission began a process to suspend a €2 million grant to the Biennale over Russia's participation.
• EU Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef said he would not attend the opening, citing Russia's invitation while Ukraine is attacked.
• Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated government opposition but acknowledged the Biennale's autonomy.
• Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini welcomed Russia's return and called the spectator-vote plan a 'great idea.'
• Russia's pavilion was absent in 2022 and 2024; it lent its space to Bolivia in 2024.

Jury quits on eve of opening

The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned on Thursday, just days before the world’s oldest and most prestigious contemporary art fair is set to open on May 9. The Biennale announced the resignation in a brief statement but offered no explanation for the highly unusual move. The panel, which included president Solange Farkas and members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, was responsible for selecting winners of the Golden Lion and other top prizes. Their departure leaves the exhibition without its traditional award mechanism on the eve of the opening.

Italy’s government pressures Biennale over Russian pavilion

The resignation came one day after Italian Culture Ministry officials visited Venice to gather information about the decision to allow Russia to reopen its national pavilion. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, asked about the resignations, reiterated that the government did not agree with the Biennale’s decision to permit Russian participation, but acknowledged that the Biennale is autonomous. Cabinet Minister Matteo Salvini, a longtime supporter of Vladimir Putin, called the spectator-vote plan a 'great idea,' saying it would make the Biennale 'autonomous and democratic.' Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated that the decision to readmit Russia was made 'entirely independently by the Biennale Foundation, despite the Italian government’s opposition.'

EU commissioner boycotts and Commission cuts funding

EU Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef told the European Parliament on April 29 that he would not attend the May 9 opening. 'As long as Russia and the Russian authorities continue to be invited, while Ukrainian people continue to be targeted, and attacked on a daily basis, I cannot be present,' he said. The European Commission last week slashed a €2 million grant to the Biennale over Russia’s participation, the first time such funding has been cut since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Biennale Foundation has until mid-May to respond to the Commission’s letter; if the response is unsatisfactory, the grant can be terminated. None of the money has been disbursed so far.

Spectators to decide winners after jury’s exit

In response to the resignations, the Biennale announced that visitors will now select winners of two awards: Best Participant in the curated exhibition 'In Minor Keys' and Best National Participation among the 100 national pavilions. The award ceremony, originally scheduled for May 9, has been moved to the closing day on November 22. The Biennale said the decision 'is consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship.' It added that the Biennale 'seeks to be, and must remain, a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom.'

Ukraine sanctions and cultural heritage concerns

The Russian presence at the Biennale has drawn widespread criticism because of the war’s devastating impact on Ukrainian culture. A letter signed by 22 countries described Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites as 'systematic' and warned that granting Russia a prestigious platform sends a 'deeply troubling signal.' Ukraine has sanctioned five individuals involved in the Russian pavilion for their ties to companies fueling Russia’s war machine. The Biennale had condemned the invasion in 2022 and barred Kremlin-linked individuals from that year’s edition, but never formally banned Russia. The country was absent in 2022 and 2024, lending its permanent pavilion to Bolivia in 2024.

Broader normalization debate and future outlook

The Biennale controversy is part of a wider debate over normalizing relations with Russia in cultural and sports events. The European Parliament discussed the 'danger of normalizing relations with Russia, including its participation in major cultural and sports events,' and criticized organizations such as the Olympic and Paralympic committees and FIFA for similar moves. The Biennale’s jury had previously said it would not give awards to artists from countries whose leaders face charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a decision apparently aimed at Russia and Israel. The exhibition’s organizers have argued that they are 'an open institution' that 'rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of art.'

A contested truce in the name of art

The Biennale’s decision to allow Russia to participate has placed it at the center of a geopolitical storm, pitting its founding ideals of openness and dialogue against the realities of an ongoing war. The resignation of the jury, the EU funding cut, and the Italian government’s opposition all underscore the deep divisions over whether cultural institutions can remain neutral in times of conflict. As the Biennale opens on May 9, the absence of a professional jury and the shift to spectator voting will test whether the exhibition can maintain its prestige while navigating the competing pressures of artistic freedom and political accountability. The outcome may set a precedent for how other international cultural events handle participation from nations accused of aggression.

The bottom line

• The Venice Biennale’s entire jury resigned days before the opening, citing no reason but amid backlash over Russia’s participation.
• Italy’s government opposed Russia’s return but acknowledged the Biennale’s autonomy; Deputy PM Salvini supported it.
• The European Commission began terminating a €2 million grant over Russia’s involvement; Commissioner Micallef boycotted the opening.
• Visitors will now vote for two awards on the closing day, November 22, replacing the jury’s traditional role.
• Ukraine sanctioned five people linked to the Russian pavilion for ties to military-industrial companies.
• The controversy reflects a broader debate on normalizing cultural and sports relations with Russia during its war in Ukraine.