ROME – Koyo Kouoh, who was set to curate the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, has passed away at the age of 58, according to an announcement by her organization in South Africa via Instagram on Saturday.

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, located in Cape Town, South Africa, confirmed her unexpected death without disclosing the cause. In response to the news, the Biennale expressed profound sadness and shock on Saturday.

Kouoh held the distinction of being the first African woman chosen to lead the Venice Biennale. Born in Cameroon in 1967, she was appointed as the curator for the 2026 Biennale in December. As a prominent advocate for Pan-Africanism in the art community, Kouoh served as the executive director and chief curator at the Zeitz Museum since 2019.

Appointed in December 2024 by the board of directors of La Biennale, Kouoh worked “with passion, intellectual rigor and vision on the conception and development of the Biennale Arte 2026,” the Venice arts institution said.

The presentation of the exhibition’s title and theme was due to take place in Venice on May 20.

“Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art and in the international community of artists, curators, and scholars who had the privilege of knowing and admiring her extraordinary human and intellectual commitment,” the Biennale said.

It extended “its deepest sympathies and affection” to Kouoh’s family and friends, and “all those who shared with her a journey of research and critical thought on contemporary art.”

In a statement, Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday expressed her “deepest condolences” for Kouoh’s “premature and sudden passing,” noting it “leaves a void in the world of contemporary art.”