THIS WEEK'S HOT TOPIC
The Venice Biennale is an inherently political event, and as such, tends to court controversy. But to say that’s the case for the 61st edition of the international exhibition, set to kick off this week, would be an understatement. The sheer amount of controversies plaguing this year’s show rivals that of any other Biennale in recent memory—and it hasn’t even opened yet. Where to begin?
A November 2025 report from The Baer Faxt newsletter makes sense. That’s where news first broke that Alma Allen, a Utah-born, Mexico-based sculptor with a scant international profile, had been chosen to represent the US at the Biennale. Traditionally, the selection process has involved various stages of proposals and nominations, overseen by an advisory committee of art world officials assembled by the National Endowment for the Arts. In this case, however, Allen was unceremoniously chosen by a months-old non-profit with direct ties to Trump and a founder whose previous job was owning a pet food store in Tampa, Florida.
The episode echoed an earlier dispute with the Australian pavilion. Just five days after being appointed the country’s representative in February of last year, Khaled Sabsabi was promptly removed from the role following pressure from conservatives, who decried an older film by the artist that featured the leader of the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah. Fortunately, Sabsabi was reappointed as the pavilion’s artist later in 2025 following outcries from Australia’s creative communities.
Now, to last month, when the Biennale’s jury said that it would not consider “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court”—particularly Israel and Russia—for prizes. A week later, the jury resigned altogether. Then, just yesterday, Iran dropped out of the show too. The country did not immediately provide a reason, though the decision drew widespread speculation that it had to do with Iran’s ongoing war against the US.
The Biennale often reflects the state of its participant countries. This year, what’s emerged is a portrait of geopolitical turmoil metastasizing across the globe with alarming speed. How will this storm of controversies impact experiences on the ground in Venice? Check in with our special Venice Dispatch in The Baer Faxt’s premium newsletter later this week to find out.
3…THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT NAVIGATING THE VENICE BIENNALE
A NUMBER TO KNOW
$375,000
The federal government’s contribution to the US pavilion at the Venice Biennale, both this year and in multiple past editions.
Uncle Sam’s modest, if not meager, cap on financial support means that some serious outside fundraising is needed to make every American presentation at La Biennale a reality. For example, the budgets for each of the past two US pavilions are estimated to have landed somewhere between $5m and $7m.
Although much of the money gap would typically be covered by major American foundations and cultural institutions, this year is an exception on multiple fronts. First, ideological tensions upended the traditional curation process, leading to the unexpected selection of sculptor Alma Allen as the US’s representative. Then those same tensions seem to have convinced the usual nonprofit benefactors to sit this biennale out.
The executive director of the American Arts Conservancy, the nascent (and extremely odd) nonprofit organizing the US pavilion this year, told Hyperallergic that Allen’s pavilion involved zero “corporate or foundation funding.” Instead, the AAC appears to have made up the difference through large private donors and—far stranger—online crowdfunding donations of $100 or more. (It’s unclear how much in total the organization has raised.)
You could argue that inviting the broad public into the process is a welcome change of pace for such a rarefied international art show. Or you could note the rich irony of the wealthiest president in American history effectively putting the country’s national pavilion into a jam that its caretakers can only get out of by begging on the internet. Like so much of the art you’ll see in Venice, it’s ultimately open to interpretation.
—Tim Schneider / The Gray Market
ASK: ACCESS SOPHISTICATED KNOWLEDGE
A longtime reader ASKed: How should a novice collector approach their first serious purchase?
Josh Baer for NoReserve: Well, of course, it depends on what you mean by “serious.” You have to address two things that don't really come into play for artworks under, say, $50,000: history and money. My criteria for clients, past the obvious “Do you love it?” and “Would you be happy to live with it?” questions, is this: How likely is it to stand the test of time? Can you imagine that a “real” museum would be happy to be gifted this work in 20 years? Does it fit into the (or any) canon of art history? How important is this work in the oeuvre of the artist?
Serious purchases require serious answers about the market. You might "overpay" for the highest-quality work. It has been proven that "master" works by artists outperform weaker works by a zillion times over, so paying a record price may be way better than getting a bargain. There are many collections I have seen that went the wrong way on this issue. Remember, there are two ways to make a gain on a purchase: 1. When you buy below market; or 2. When you sell for above the normal market. It’s usually one or the other, but rarely both. And you still need to assume that, at best, the money is stored in the art rather than invested. After all, it’s not a stock or bond; there is an emotional value too.
Last advice: Before pulling the trigger, walk away for a bit—hours, days. Does the work stick in your mind, and would you feel worse not owning it or owning it? These practices should apply to every serious purchase. Get into good habits sooner and they will become more automatic.
Have your own question for the NoReserve team? Reply to this email or reach out to us on Instagram, @no.reserve. Readers whose submissions we choose get a special prize—six free months of our paid newsletter, The Baer Faxt.
2 MINUTES WITH…
“What does it mean to live in a media environment that is predatory on your lizard brain?” That’s the central prompt behind Trevor Paglen’s upcoming performance-lecture at the Guggenheim, “The Lizard People Are Here!” Earlier this year, Paglen won the 2026 LG Guggenheim Award, a $100,000 prize for artists working with technology, in recognition of his ongoing, research-intensive projects that alternately probe the effects of AI, data capitalism, and state surveillance. Click below to hear the artist discuss the May 18th event, and purchase tickets to it here.
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On this month’s episode of The Baer Faxt Podcast, host Josh Baer talks with Purat “Chang” Osathanugrah, a collector, business leader, educator, and founder of Dib Bangkok, Thailand's first major international art museum. Tune in to hear about Thailand's artistic landscape, the transformative role Dib plays within it, and what it takes to bring a multi-generational vision to life. First Dibs on Contemporary Art in Thailand is out now on all major podcast platforms and at www.thebaerfaxtpodcast.com. This episode is brought to you by Ursula - A Magazine of Contemporary Culture by Hauser & Wirth.
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