ROME, May 12 (AGCNewsNet) – Celebrated curator and cultural leader Koyo Kouoh has died at age 58, just months after being appointed to lead the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. The news was confirmed Saturday by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, where she had served as executive director and chief curator since 2019.

Kouoh, born in Cameroon in 1967, made history as the first African woman selected to curate the prestigious Biennale. The cause of death was not disclosed.

The Biennale’s organizing body expressed deep sorrow at her sudden passing, highlighting her “passion, intellectual rigor and vision” in shaping the upcoming edition. Kouoh was scheduled to unveil the theme and title of the 2026 exhibition in Venice on May 20.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined global tributes, describing her death as a “void in the world of contemporary art.”

A staunch advocate for Pan-Africanism in global art, Kouoh was widely respected for her transformative work in contemporary African art and thought leadership on the international stage.

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Source: AP News