The entire jury of the Venice Biennale international art exhibition has resigned, organizers said Thursday.
The resignations come a week after the panel announced it would not award the award to artists from Russia or Israel, according to Reuters news agency.
The Biennale gave no reason for the move, which marks a dramatic escalation in a controversy that has thrown one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art events into turmoil just days before its May 9 opening.
The five-strong jury, chaired by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, said last week that “in defense of human rights” it would not consider the actions of countries whose leaders face charges at the International Criminal Court.
The only two countries affected were Russia and Israel, with the ICC issuing arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war.
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