The Venice Biennale jury resigned Thursday, escalating a dispute days before the International Art Exhibition opens on May 9 after the panel said it would not award artists from Russia or Israel.
Organiser confirmed the resignation of the five-member panel but gave no reason for the move.
The jury, led by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, said last week it would not consider works from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants “in the defence of human rights.”
The decision affected Russia and Israel. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war.
Israeli sculptor Belu Simion Fainaru, who is showing at Venice, accused the jury of racial discrimination and threatened legal action.
The dispute followed the organisers’ decision to allow Russia back into the exhibition for the first time since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Italian government criticised Russia’s return, while the European Commission said it could suspend or terminate a €2 million grant if the Russian pavilion reopens this year. Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco defended the event as “a space of coexistence for the whole planet” without censorship.
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Organisers said visitors will vote for their favourite artists for the first time, including works from Russia and Israel, and that the awards ceremony will be moved from the opening week to November.
