Venice Biennale 2026
Breaking news, analysis, interviews and more from the world-famous exhibition, including The Art Newspaper’s on-the-ground coverage
Latest
What’s it like organising the Venice Biennale? Former curators dish the dirt
Robert Storr speaks about his tenure in this exclusive extract from Massimiliano Gioni’s new book of interviews with biennale artistic directors
Comment | A trip to Venice this year offered thought-provoking reminders of past art disputes
From a contested Richard Prince to the disputed Veroneses, La Serenissima remains one of the best places to see works of art formerly at the centre of legal controversies
European Union officially pulls €2m Venice Biennale funding over Russian participation
“Cultural events, funded by European taxpayers’ money, should safeguard democratic values—values which are not respected in today’s Russia,” a European Commission spokesman said
More than 100 artists threaten legal action against Venice Biennale
The artists claim the organisers did not respond to their request for removal from the Visitors' Lions prize vote, which the Biennale disputes
Iran has not withdrawn from 2026 Venice Biennale, pavilion commissioner says
Mahdizadeh Tehrani, from Iran’s ministry of culture and Islamic guidance (MCIG), has said that the country is still negotiating to show at the event despite Biennale organisers announcing it would not participate
Diary
Fashion figure Jordan Roth wows in collage at the Venice Biennale
Having just taken on the Met Gala as a "living sculpture", the multi-disciplinary artist came to Venice later in the week for a compelling performance
How sweet it is: chocolate Russell Crowe at the Malta Pavilion
A chocolate gladiator features in Valletta-based artist Charlie Cauchi's film and accompanying installation in the Arsenale
Nature is healing? Seagull lays eggs in the Giardini during Venice Biennale preview
The new mother may have upstaged some of the artwork on show
Alvaro Barrington takes a road trip to the Venice Biennale
The artist's contribution to In Minor Keys includes a decked out truck driven from London to Venice
Guides
Our pick of the best pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale
From splashing sewage to moments of zen, here is our selection of top national presentations in the Giardini, Arsenale and across town
Venice Biennale 2026: all the national pavilions, artists and curators
The key players representing their countries at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia
Boats and trains, not planes: reflections on a greener—but sometimes greenwashed—Venice Biennale
From curator Koyo Kouoh’s foregrounding of “all earthly elements” to Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo's new sustainable art island, references to the environment can be found throughout the Italian city
Venice Biennale curatorial team reveal how they are bringing the late Koyo Kouoh's vision to life
The team announced the 111 artists and artist collectives—many of whom come from the Global South—that will be included in the exhibition "In Minor Keys"
Features
Venice verdicts: art world figures weigh in on the Biennale
Leading museum directors, curators and artists give us their opinions on the massive event
The Big Review | Venice Biennale 2026: In Minor Keys ★★★½
Staged a year after the death of its curator, Koyo Kouoh, the Venice Biennale’s main exhibition unfolds as a sometimes-cacophonous procession guided by sentinels and hybrid beings in a rich but uneven show
Venice Biennale Special 2026—podcast
In this week's special Venice Biennale episode, Ben Luke reviews In Minor Keys along with Louisa Buck and Jane Morris, interviews artists Gabrielle Goliath and Lubaina Himid and meets writer Saidiya Hartman. Digital editor Alexander Morrison hears about a collateral event by Belarus Free Theatre, and Ben Luke learns about the restoration of two paintings by Tintoretto.
Exhibitions
‘This is the place of dreams’: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s Venetian island venue opens to public
San Giacomo launched with two temporary exhibitions and a series of site-specific works, including a leaning church
Comment | Visiting Venice this year reminded me of the crushing power of painting
From Old Masters like Tintoretto to contemporary Kantarovsky, the medium's brilliance shines across the city
Comment | Georg Baselitz's final exhibition is a warning that history is repeating itself
Since the opening of the late German artist's Venice show, events at the Biennale and the result of the UK's council elections have continued to expose art's vulnerability to politics
Venice show brings together two leading figures from the Polish avant-garde
The the 20th-century artists Tadeusz Kantor and Maria Jarema feature in a collateral exhibition at the 61st Biennale
Artist interviews
Lubaina Himid on capturing the 'uneasiness' of Britain for her Venice Biennale pavilion
The artist, who was born in Zanzibar, describes Britain as having "all the hallmarks of safety and calm, but has an underlying loathing of the Other"
Thinking small and dreaming big in Isabel Nolan’s imaginary world
For Ireland’s pavilion, Isabel Nolan has created an imaginary world inspired by the Renaissance humanist Aldo Manuzio, whose ambition was to democratise reading
Lotus Kang channels desire into Bvlgari's Venice Biennale pavilion
The Canada-born, New York-based artist creates works informed by everything from industrial rubber to rat pups
