Cecilia Alemani appointed Venice Biennale visual arts director amid controversy

Paolo Baratta, outgoing president of the Venice Biennale, unilaterally appointed Cecilia Alemani as director of the visual arts section, bypassing standard procedures. Baratta, who could not seek another term as president, exploited a delay in ministerial appointments to make the decision during the interim period, which is normally limited to administrative acts. The appointment reportedly had the full support of Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, despite it encroaching on his prerogative to first appoint a new president. Alemani, a respected curator with a strong track record, becomes the first Italian woman to hold this prestigious role. However, critics note her marriage to Massimiliano Gioni, a former director of the same section, raising nepotism concerns. Renato Barilli, a prominent critic, laments that curators continue to be favored over art critics and historians, whom he claims are sidelined. He also criticizes recent biennales for avoiding challenging critical-historical themes and hopes Alemani will avoid the mistakes of the previous edition, namely erasing the distinction between the Giardini and Arsenale spaces and relegating Italian participation to an inconvenient location.