Venice Biennale President Defends Russian Pavilion
Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Venice Biennale, says he would again host the Russian Pavilion despite losing a 2 million euro EU grant and facing controversy.
Venice Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco said he has no regrets about hosting the Russian Pavilion this year, the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera he would make the same choice again. Buttafuoco said the Biennale is independent and he would do it all over again for the Russian pavilion, stating that with them, art wins.
Controversy and Financial Cost
The decision proved highly controversial. It cost the Biennale a 2 million euro grant from the European Commission. The EU cabinet claimed the pavilion defied international law. The move also sparked protests from other participating nations and many artists in the main exhibition. Those artists also denounced the pavilions for the United States and Israel.
In March, ahead of the 2026 edition's opening, the Biennale stated it rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art. The institution argued it could not bar any country officially recognized by Italy. The Russian Pavilion ultimately allowed visitors only during preview days and is now closed to the public.
Buttafuoco's Political Stance
The Biennale president's politics have drawn scrutiny since he took the helm three years ago. He has described himself as not a fascist but something else. According to the Guardian, he is seen as an eccentric conservative. He supports Italian cultural identity, a right-wing tenet, but has criticized conservatives on other issues like gun rights. His conversion to Islam in 2015 alienated some right-wing figures, including current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, though her administration has since praised him.
When asked by Corriere della Sera if he felt close to the right wing today, Buttafuoco said he has an identity, not a membership. Within the Biennale, he serves the institution, not his own personal beliefs.
Reactions and a Ukrainian Filmmaker's View
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said Putin won at the Biennale. Buttafuoco responded to that remark in his interview. He said Putin didn't win, art did. He added that the Biennale won not because of him, but because of the history of an institution that looks to the world and that, throughout its 131 years, even during many conflicts, has always welcomed everyone.
He defended the choice as upholding an ancient civilizational precept of a truce, like at the Olympics. On the lost EU funding, Buttafuoco stated that in all the formal and official acts, there is not a single comma that violates laws and regulations.
During the Venice Film Festival, the Biennale found a surprising supporter in Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa. His films are sharply critical of Russia. Loznitsa told the Guardian he would never ever visit the Russian Pavilion. Yet he criticized the European Commission's logic in cutting the grant. He said this is a much more serious issue than whether there is a Russian pavilion in Venice or not, and that cutting off funding to the Biennale is like a punishment in kindergarten.
