Koyo Kouoh, 2026 Venice Art Biennale curator, dies suddenly at age 58

Koyo Kouoh, the head of the biggest contemporary art museum in Africa and who would have been the first African woman to lead the Venice Biennale, died on May 10, the Zeitz MOCAA museum said. Photo: AFP

Koyo Kouoh, the curator of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, has died at age 58, her home institution in South Africa said in an Instagram post on Saturday.

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town in South Africa confirmed her passing overnight but gave no cause of death. The Biennale said on Saturday it was "deeply saddened and dismayed” to learn of her death.