Italian journalist and politician, Minister of Culture since Sept 2024
La Fenice Foundation has decided to cancel all future collaborations with Beatrice Venezi after her public statements and opposition from staff and audiences. The decision follows protests and a strike over her appointment as music director, which was opposed due to concerns over experience and political connections. The move aims to address tensions and misunderstandings.
The Venice Biennale is reopening Russia’s pavilion for the first time since 2022 amid protests and a mass jury resignation over entries from states facing ICC charges. The international jury has resigned, and the festival is facing scrutiny from the EU and Italy as debates over artistic neutrality and politics intensify.
The 61st Venice Biennale has opened with protests, strikes and the international jury's resignation over the organisers' decision to allow Russia and Israel to participate. Dozens of pavilions have closed temporarily, the jury has quit, and visitors will vote for awards after organisers cancelled jury prizes.
The Italian Culture Ministry has acquired the Tomb of Francois, a 4th-century BC Etruscan tomb, including fresco panels and artifacts, from the Torlonia family. The purchase, part of a broader push to repatriate antiquities, is public on June 30, 2026, and the tomb opens to visitors at Rome’s Villa Giulia museum. The ministry has previously spent on other masterpieces this year.