Pakistan, May 3 -- The entire jury of the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition has resigned, organisers said on Thursday, a week after the panel announced it would not hand out awards to artists from Russia or Israel.

The Biennale did not give a reason for the move, which marks a dramatic escalation in a dispute that has thrown one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art events into turmoil days before its May 9 opening. The five-strong jury, headed by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, said last week that "in the defence of human rights" it would not consider works from countries whose leaders face charges at the International Criminal Court.

The only two countries affected were Russia and Israel, with the ICC issuing a...