Alma Allen Escalates Venice Biennale Dispute, Accusing David Resnicow of Undermining U.S. Pavilion Support
The controversy surrounding the 2026 U.S. Pavilion in Venice has taken another turn. American artist Alma Allen said on Monday that two of the three galleries that withdrew support for his project did so on the advice of veteran art publicist David Resnicow, deepening a dispute that has shadowed the pavilion for months.
In an Instagram post, Allen wrote that he had never met Resnicow, but that the publicist’s name had surfaced repeatedly in conversations with people who told him Resnicow had warned them away from supporting the American Pavilion. Allen said those people included arts writers, museum directors, funders, curators, and the galleries that stepped back from the project. Resnicow, who has represented the U.S. Pavilion six times before this year’s edition, denied the allegation and called Allen’s claims “baffling.” He said he had never told anyone not to work with Allen or discuss funding for the pavilion.
Allen’s post adds fresh fuel to one of the most contentious Biennale cycles in recent memory. Since his selection was announced last November, criticism has focused not only on the work itself but also on the process that led to his appointment. Allen said he did not apply for the commission. Instead, he said curator Jeffrey Uslip told him he was one of five artists shortlisted by a committee that included representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts in Embassies, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The other artists Allen said were under consideration were Julie Mehretu, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Kennedy Yanko, and William Eggleston.
Allen has also said that the experience in Venice became overwhelming and that he left after two days. He has argued repeatedly that he became the public face of decisions he did not make and did not fully understand at the time. The backlash has also touched the role of the American Arts Conservancy, the nonprofit behind the pavilion, and the broader question of how the U.S. chooses its representative for Venice.
The dispute now sits at the intersection of reputation, process, and institutional trust — a familiar fault line in the art world, but one that has rarely played out so publicly around the American Pavilion.
