Robert Lazzarini has revealed he was commissioned to represent the US at next year's Venice Biennale only for it to be withdrawn, according to The Washington Post.
His proposal, which included a monumental statue of the country's founding father George Washington as well as a display of American flags, was accepted by the US government only to collapse after a fundraising deal involving the University of South Florida fell apart.
He told the newspaper it had been "a tremendous honor" to be commissioned initially and said his show would have been "a timely reflection on where the nation is at this moment".
A statement from the university said it was not able to support the commission because of "the short notice of the award and the timeline to implement the project, and the multimillion-dollar philanthropic and financial obligations that were required if we accepted."
It is not clear who, if anyone, will represent the country instead of Lazzarini.