Italy’s culture war over the 61st Biennale escalates. A government investigation and ministerial boycott are afoot with EU funding at risk over the Russian pavilion.
Italy’s culture ministry has dispatched inspectors to the Venice Biennale amid a deepening political crisis over the Foundation’s decision to allow Russia to return to the world’s most prestigious contemporary art exhibition for the first time since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Corriere della Sera, inspectors were dispatched to the Biennale Foundation to examine documents and financial records related to the planned reopening of the Russian pavilion. Officials were also reportedly instructed to review documents related to the pavilions of Iran and Israel.
The move represents a significant escalation of tensions between Italy’s government and the Biennale Foundation since March, when Russia’s return was first announced.
Russia returns on limited terms
After skipping 2022 — when its own artists withdrew in protest at the war in Ukraine — and loaning its space to Bolivia in 2024, Russia announced in March 2026 it would mount a group exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale titled The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky.
What has emerged under sustained pressure is a participation unlike any in the pavilion’s history. The Russian pavilion will remain closed to the public from 9 May through 22 November 2026, i.e. the entire duration of the event. It will be open only to media from 6 to 8 May.
The Russian delegates scheduled for the Biennale are individuals with documented ties to the Russian government, military defence corporations and state media networks, rather than dissidents. Critics argue that even this limited presence provides Moscow with a European platform at a moment when Russia’s forces continue to wage war on Ukrainian civilians.
The Biennale Foundation has defended Russia’s inclusion throughout, stating: “No regulations have been violated and sanctions against the Russian Federation have been fully complied with, as is our duty.” Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that the organisers had previously provided communications with Russian authorities to the Italian Culture Ministry, and that no “irregularities” were found in terms of compliance with sanctions.
Culture Minister will not attend inauguration
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has made his position unmistakeable. Having publicly called on the Biennale to revoke Russia’s invitation, he has now confirmed that he will boycott the pre-opening days and the official inauguration ceremony on 9 May.
The row has also opened a fracture within the institutions that govern the event. Giuli earlier demanded the resignation of Tamara Gregoretti, the Culture Ministry’s representative on the Biennale Foundation’s board, saying she had failed to alert officials to Russia’s planned return and had expressed support for its participation “despite being fully aware of the international sensitivity surrounding the issue.” Gregoretti declined, saying she had no intention of resigning.
The Biennale Foundation is headed by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The Foundation has maintained that it cannot unilaterally exclude countries formally recognised by the Italian state and has defended the jury’s autonomy in its own decisions about awards.
The stakes are financial as well as political. The European Commission previously warned that the Biennale’s decision to allow Russia’s participation puts €2 million in EU funding for the event at risk.
