Nan Goldin has commented on the AGO’s decision to not acquire her work
“It’s chilling that this censorship plays out,” the artist said in a statement
The Globe and Mail reported last week that the Art Gallery of Ontario’s modern and contemporary collections committee voted 11–9 against acquiring additional work by artist Nan Goldin.
Goldin, a celebrated Jewish American photographer, has been vocal regarding her support of Palestine. The Globe’s story notes that a heated discussion ensued among the committee members and that Goldin’s views were labelled as “offensive” and “antisemitic.” The discussion was led by an AGO trustee who is a donor to the gallery, per documentation reviewed by the outlet.
The AGO’s modern-and-contemporary curator resigned from the committee in response, though he continues to work in a reduced capacity. Three AGO volunteers also resigned.
“The decision to decline an artwork in connection with its Jewish artist’s views on Israel has prompted significant dissension, resignations and a wholesale governance review at one of North America’s largest art institutions–while raising questions in the art world about the influence of powerful donors, and whether the political views of artists should affect the way their work is received,” the Globe’s story said.
An AGO spokesperson told the Globe that “personal political views were brought into the conversation. This is not intended to be part of the process.”
In a statement sent to online arts publication Hyperallergic and published yesterday, Goldin commented on the AGO’s decision. “It’s chilling that this censorship plays out, especially regarding Palestine, the great exception to free speech,” she said. “I feel that anyone who uses the conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism at this point is repeating Israel’s propaganda as a way of deflecting from what the world has witnessed for the last two and a half years—this genocide.”
Goldin continued, directing attention to the other committee members: “It was distressing to learn that 11 people followed suit and voted against the acquisition, proving how scared people are.”
Related: A behind-the-scenes look at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s most iconic paintings
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
