Italian art world rallies against boycott of Israeli art with open letter

Over 300 Italian artists, intellectuals, and peace advocates have signed an open letter opposing the boycott of Israeli art, specifically rejecting calls to exclude Israel from the 60th Venice Biennale. The letter, promoted by artists Tobia Ravà and Luigi Viola, responds to the recent demand by the newly formed international organization ANGA to ban Israel from the Biennale. The signatories argue that the boycott proposal was mere propaganda but still want to send a clear signal of support for Israel and its artists, condemning the use of falsification in hate rhetoric that perpetuates conflict. They endorse the idea of a shared Israeli-Palestinian pavilion, as previously suggested by Fiammetta Martegani in an Artribune article, proposing to pair Israeli artist Ruth Patir with a Palestinian-Israeli artist. The Biennale had earlier stated it has no authority to exclude recognized nations and noted that Palestinian artists are already included in the 2024 edition through the curator Adriano Pedrosa's selection. Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano had denounced the boycott call as unacceptable and shameful.