Special envoy to Venice
The prize list of the Venice Biennale, it is a very Italian moment which is held in the Hall of Columns in Ca'Giustinian, near Piazza San Marco. The seats are numbered, the precedences are indicated, the carabinieri with their well-ironed uniforms and white stripes ensure their respect. The officials in the ranks in front, starting with the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, a little round man appointed on October 22, 2022 by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the proposal of the President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni. The artists expected to be on the list, too.
Behind these stiff officials like opera extras, the slightly disheveled crowd of art VIPs after a week of marathon in Venice. From Maja Hoffmann, Swiss collector and patron who created the LUMA Foundation in Arles, to Yuko Hasegawa, queen of “curators”, from museums in Japan to the Sharjah Biennale, to Zurich-based Bice Curiger, director…