The inclusion of Russia in the lineup for the 2026 Venice Biennale has sparked international outcry, drawing threats from the European Commission and demands from European countries that Moscow stay away again over its war in Ukraine. The backlash has also landed in Italy’s political arena, with culture minister Alessandro Giuli facing pressure to explain and manage the dispute after Russia was named among the participating countries for the Biennale’s 61st arts festival.
Giuli said he voiced clear opposition to the Biennale’s decision, while also acknowledging that the festival’s governing foundation is independent of the Italian government and acted autonomously when it included Russia. He moved quickly against what he described as a failure to disclose key information, firing Tamara Gregoretti, the ministry official who sits on the Biennale board, and accusing her of not having informed the ministry that Russia had indicated it would participate and that she had supported the inclusion.
The controversy centers on how Russia would take part in Venice’s main exhibition areas. Russia has a permanent, historic pavilion in the Giardini exhibition zone, and the Biennale’s rules provide a streamlined process for participation. Russian participation has been absent since the war in Ukraine began: in 2022, the Russian pavilion was shuttered after the artists withdrew following Moscow’s invasion, and in 2024 the pavilion was loaned to Bolivia.
The Venice Biennale Foundation announced the 2026 lineup on March 4. The edition runs May 9 through Nov. 22 and will include exhibitions from 99 nations, including seven countries participating for the first time. Russia’s return was not promoted as a headline event by the Biennale; it was included in the list of participating countries, with Russia’s exhibition titled “The Tree is Rooted in the Sky” and about three dozen Russian artists participating.
As criticism from European partners mounted this week, Giuli also launched an investigation aimed at whether the Biennale’s plans would be compatible with EU sanctions. The ministry said Giuli demanded that the Biennale urgently provide all documentation, including correspondence with Moscow, about Russia’s plan to set up and manage the pavilion during the fair.
In parallel, Italy sought direct engagement with Ukraine. Giuli said he spoke by telephone Friday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Tetyana Berezhna, and “reiterated the Italian government’s commitment to protecting Ukraine’s cultural identity, which has been under threat for over four years due to the Russian invasion, and reaffirmed his personal commitment and that of the government to the reconstruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage,” according to the ministry. The Italian government said Berezhna told Giuli that Russia’s participation was “unacceptable for Kiev and contrasts with the strong support for Ukraine maintained by the Italian government.”
The head of the Venice Biennale Foundation, Pietrangolo Buttafuoco, has defended the inclusion decision and described it as opposing censorship. Buttafuoco said the 2026 edition would include two dedicated exhibition spaces for “dissident” art, and he pointed to last year’s Venice Film Festival, where a world premiere of “The Wizard of the Kremlin” was staged. The film, starring Jude Law, portrays Vladimir Putin’s rise to power.
But the dispute is now also taking on a sanction-and-funding dimension. Twenty-two European countries wrote a letter to Buttafuoco expressing “profound concern” about Russia’s participation and warning that Moscow could use the presence to “project an image of legitimacy and international acceptance that stands in stark contrast to the reality of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage, as well as to European and international sanctions.”
The European Commission similarly condemned the decision, and warned that it could withhold EU funds for the Biennale. A statement from Commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Glenn Micallef said that if the Biennale Foundation proceeded, the EU would consider “further measures, including the suspension or termination of ongoing EU funding to the Biennale Foundation,” which the European Commission estimated would amount to about 2 million euros over three years.