Venice Biennale Opening Week Draws Art World Power Players

The opening week of the 61st Venice Biennale in May 2026 brought together a global art crowd for exhibitions, parties, and chance encounters. Notable attendees included artist Jenny Saville, former MoMA director Glenn Lowry, singer Jewel, and collector Banjo Yamauchi. The Hotel Metropole served as a hub, hosting figures like Michèle Lamy, Andrew Kreps, Stefania Bortolami, Bracha Ettinger, and Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. Fondazione Giorgio Cini hosted high-end events, including a Thaddaeus Ropac reception for Georg Baselitz's final paintings (priced up to $1.5 million) and François Pinault's party with Selma Hayek, Lorna Simpson, JR, Paloma Picasso, and Bernard-Henri Lévy. Baselitz died on April 30 at age 88, days before the Biennale. Artist Amoako Boafo exhibited at Palazzo Grimani, with works up to $400,000. Jenny Saville's show at Ca' Pesaro featured her iconic self-portrait Propped (1992), which sold for $12.5 million in 2018. Kenyan artist Kaloki Nyami, selected by the late Koyo Kouoh, displayed six massive canvases in the Arsenale. The Biennale faced protests over the inclusion of Russia and Israel.