Venice Biennale President hits back at EU over funding cut: “We won’t march to the beat of politics”

Venice Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco returned on Thursday to the European Union’s decision to cut funding to the Foundation, describing the European Commission as “a travelling companion that is now leaving us over a matter that is entirely political, certainly not legal, let alone cultural.”

The remarks come two days after the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (Eacea) decided to terminate the €2 million EU grant earmarked for the Foundation for 2025-2028. The decision, announced on 21 July, followed a formal recommendation by European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who announced on X on 11 July that she was asking Eacea to withdraw the funding over the reopening of the Russian pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition.

Buttafuoco reiterated the institution’s independence: “We are not engaged in politics, we don’t march to anyone’s drum, we are here for international research in the arts,” adding that bowing to Brussels’ demands would have betrayed the principles of autonomy and freedom of expression the Biennale has upheld for 131 years.

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Buttafuoco’s account, and the comparison with Russia

Buttafuoco also recounted the exchange of letters with Eacea using Phaedrus’s fable of the wolf and the lamb, summed up in the Latin phrase “superior stabat lupus” (the wolf stood upstream, i.e. the stronger party prevails regardless of right): a first letter of objection, a second in which the Commission allegedly flagged an inconsistency over the dates of the supposed breach, and a third with which the procedure was nonetheless closed by withdrawing the funds. Buttafuoco also drew a comparison with a headline by journalist Mattia Feltri on HuffPost, according to which the EU had taken €2 million from the Biennale while channelling €6 billion to Russia over six months, a parallel he used to call Brussels’ decision inconsistent. According to other news agencies, the Foundation has also announced its intention to appeal the decision.

The Commission’s rationale, and the procedure

Vice-President Virkkunen justified the request for withdrawal by arguing that culture funded with European taxpayers’ money should promote and safeguard democratic values that “are not respected in today’s Russia.” The dispute began in March, when the Foundation confirmed Russia’s return among the national participants after its forced absence since 2022, the year of the invasion of Ukraine. The withdrawal procedure unfolded over three months: a first Eacea letter on 10 April raised the possibility of a breach of the ethical and political conditions attached to the grant, giving 30 days to respond; a second letter on 12 June granted a further 30-day extension on unresolved issues, ahead of the Commission’s formal recommendation on 11 July and Eacea’s decision on 21 July.

On the physical status of the Russian pavilion at the Giardini, sources agree: the space was not open to the public for the duration of the exhibition, which opened on 9 May, with the sole exception of a private, invitation-only event, the performance “The Tree is Rooted in the Sky,” reserved for press and industry insiders during the preview days between 6 and 8 May.

Political reactions in Italy

The affair has fuelled a cross-party political debate in Italy. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who had already objected in May to the Foundation’s decision to reopen the Russian pavilion by boycotting the inauguration and ordering a ministerial inspection that closed without findings, has not yet commented publicly on Eacea’s decision. From the Five Star Movement, Senate group leader Luca Pirondini criticised the government for failing to defend the Biennale against the EU decision. Veneto regional council president Luca Zaia, by contrast, backed Buttafuoco’s stance, describing the Biennale as a space for dialogue that should not be subject to censorship linked to ongoing conflicts.

The Foundation has nonetheless stated, in a note, that the measure has no significant impact on its overall budget, noting that the European contribution represented only a marginal share of its revenue compared with income generated by visitors and its own activities.

The article in Italian by EUalive’s partner FocusEurope.it can be found here.

Caption: Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco (C) with Curators of the Architecture Biennale, Chinese architects Wang Shu (L) and Lu Wenyu (R) pose before the press conference to present the 2027 Architecture Biennale, in Venice, Italy, 19 May 2026. EPA/ANDREA MEROLA