Full Breakdown
US Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale: Selection Overhaul and Exhibition Overview
5/8/2026, 5:17:50 AM
Selection Process Overhaul and Appointment of Alma Allen
In 2024 the U.S. State Department revised its Venice Biennale selection guidelines, removing references to diversity, equity and inclusion and adding a requirement that the chosen work “reflect and promote American values.” The revised protocol eliminated the National Endowment for the Arts’ involvement and the traditional open-call peer-review system. The State Department appointed Jenni Parido, head of the newly formed American Arts Conservancy, as commissioner. Parido hired curator Jeffrey Uslip, who, after unsuccessful approaches to Barbara Chase-Riboud and William Eggleston, selected Utah-born sculptor Alma Allen. A prior proposal for artist Robert Lazzarini, curated by John Ravenal, was withdrawn in September 2024 after its institutional sponsor withdrew support.
Background: Policy Changes and Historical Context
The United States pavilion, a Palladian-style building in Venice’s Giardini, has been administered by the State Department since the 1980s, following earlier ownership by MoMA and the CIA during the Cold War. The 2024 guideline change represents the first major departure from the open-call model established in the 1970s.
Key Figures and Organizations
- Jenni Parido – Commissioner, American Arts Conservancy
- Jeffrey Uslip – Curator
- Alma Allen – Artist (self-taught sculptor, Utah, based in Mexico)
- John Ravenal – Art historian, former curator of the aborted Lazzarini project
- Robert Lazzarini – Initially selected artist (project cancelled)
- U.S. State Department – Oversight authority
- American Arts Conservancy – Sponsoring nonprofit
- Donors identified in pavilion plaque: John Phelan (former Navy secretary) and Tommy Hilfiger (fashion designer)
Timeline of Selection and Opening
- 2024 – Trump administration revises Biennale guidelines.
- July 2024 – Open-call deadline passes; no traditional applications received.
- September 2024 – Lazzarini project approved then cancelled.
- Late 2024 – Parido appointed commissioner; Uslip hired as curator.
- Early 2025 – Alma Allen selected for the U.S. pavilion.
- 9 May 2026 – Venice Biennale opens; U.S. pavilion opens shortly thereafter.
- 22 Nov 2026 – Exhibition closes.
Exhibition Details: “Call Me the Breeze”
The pavilion presents “Call Me the Breeze,” a series of untitled, biomorphic sculptures in bronze, wood, stone and Colorado Yule marble—the same marble used for the Lincoln Memorial. Sources differ on the total count, citing “20-odd” works (The New York Times) and “a dozen” new pieces (Hyperallergic). Notable installations include a bronze “evil eye” intended for the pavilion façade and a headless sheep sculpture described as a self-portrait. The show runs through 22 November 2026.
Official Statements & Responses
The State Department’s revised guidelines emphasize the promotion of “American values.” Curator Uslip said his interest lies in “artists who are not academicized … or lobotomized.” Ravenal described the 2025 process as “a loss of a 40-year history of open call and peer review.” Allen told the Associated Press that “my art is not propaganda” and expressed the need to defend his work.
Criticism & Opposition
The New York Times called the selection overhaul a “debasement” of the pavilion. Hyperallergic said the exhibition “says nothing, does nothing, means nothing.” The Spectator highlighted Parido’s prior pet-food business and Uslip’s past accusations of racial insensitivity as evidence of politicized patronage. The Biennale’s Golden Lion jury resigned in protest of the Israel pavilion, underscoring broader tensions.
On-the-Ground Reports
In an AP interview, Allen described his outsider status, his practice of shaping forms by hand, and his intention to “ward off bad vibes” with a bronze evil eye. He noted his career began with street-level sales and that his work is held by LACMA and the Palm Springs Art Museum.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Sculpture count: “20-odd” (NYT) vs. “a dozen” (Hyperallergic).
- Donor disclosure: absent in NYT, listed in Hyperallergic.
- Selection transparency: AP reports an “opaque” process without committee vetting; NYT attributes changes to formal guideline revision.
- State Department comment: No official response on donor identities or the aborted Lazzarini project.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This is really the first circumstance in my life as an artist where I felt the need to defend myself, or my work,’’ Allen told The Associated Press during a walk-through of the pavilion this week.” — Alma Allen, Artist
- “I am deeply interested and invested in artists who are not, I guess, academicized …” — Jeffrey Uslip, Curator
- “Alma Allen's biomorphic sculptures evoke the visceral realities of contemporary life and reveal the fragility and resilience of the human condition,” — Jeffrey Uslip, Plaque Text
- “My art is not propaganda,” — Alma Allen, Artist
What’s Next
The pavilion will remain open until 22 November 2026, after which critical assessments and possible inquiries into the 2024 selection reforms are expected from both the art community and congressional oversight bodies.
