Venice Biennale Reportedly Bars Israel and Russia From Top Arts Prize
April 28, 2026
Anti-authoritarian art historian Isa Segalovich is breaking down the historic decision at the 61st Venice Biennale. In an unprecedented move, the international awards jury has officially ruled that Israel and Russia are ineligible for the festival’s top prizes, including the prestigious Golden Lion.
The jury’s statement was a direct shot at the establishment, declaring they will not reward “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).” With active arrest warrants out for both Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin.
This decision comes as the European Commission officially moves to terminate or suspend a €2 million grant to the Biennale after organizers allowed the Russian pavilion to reopen.
The era of using art to hide war crimes is coming to an end. The truth is the most powerful piece of art we have, and it’s finally being put center stage. Share this to let them know that culture is not a shield for the architects of chaos!
Thank you for this amazing report @interstellar_isabellar
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English Script:
ISA SEGALOVICH: The Venice Biennale, aka the Olympics of the art world, will not be considering Israel for an award this year because of their crimes against humanity, and it’s kind of a huge fucking deal. If you’re not familiar, the Biennale is something that happens every two years, and every country sends an artist as a representative for the chance to win the biggest prize in the world of art you can get, which is the Golden Lion. Now, last week, the EU told the Biennale that they were going to withhold €2 million of funding if they continue to allow Russia to participate. And so, possibly in a response to that, the jury yesterday said, okay, we’re not going to consider any country for an award whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, the ICC. You know, the thing that would get Netanyahu arrested if he stepped in a whole bunch of countries. And while they did not outright name any specific country, there really are only two countries that this rule applies to. Now, this really should be considered a win for activists who have been demanding Israel’s exclusion from the Biennale for years. However, as far as I know, neither Israel nor Russia is really bad. And from the exhibition itself, they will still be allowed to participate and show their work, which kind of blows. All of that being said, it is highly unusual for a huge institution like this to take that kind of stand against Israel at all, and it is yet another sign that the tides, at least for now, appear to be turning.
