The Tamesis
Since news broke last month that the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto had decided not to acquire a new work by Nan Goldin, the fallout has been severe. The decision was driven by trustee Judy Schulich, who reportedly called the Jewish-American photographer an “anti-Semitic,” leading to calls for her resignation. It also reexamines how wealthy donors influence museum governance.
Schulich, a major donor to the AGO and an executive at the Schulich Foundation, one of Canada’s largest private foundations, has yet to comment publicly. What is clear is that her intervention played a decisive role in the gallery’s rejection of Goldin’s moving image work Stendhal syndrome (2024), a project acquired by the AGO program in conjunction with the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The news first came to light through Toronto reporter Samira Mohyeddin on X and was later confirmed by X magazine. globe and mailAn unnamed committee member compared Golding to Nazi film producer Leni Riefenstahl and called her a “liar” for Palestinians, the report said.
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An open letter calling for greater transparency and curatorial independence from the AGO and for Schulich to step down has so far collected more than 500 signatures, including from Goldin himself. The letter, organized by Jewish groups including Jews Say No to Genocide, Independent Jewish Voice Toronto and United Jewish People of Canada, sees Schulich’s intervention as part of a worrying pattern of donors influencing curatorial decisions.
voted for Stendhal syndrome The two sides opposed the acquisition by a score of 11 to 9, but the impact was huge. John Zeppetelli, the AGO’s curator of modern and contemporary art and an advocate of the work, resigned after the incident. Two volunteer board members also resigned. Meanwhile, Vancouver and Minneapolis continue to move forward with acquisitions, leaving Toronto out of the high-profile joint takeover.
AGO Director Stephan Jost defended the decision as part of the complexity of running a public museum during a politically charged moment. “We are a public museum and diversity is a reality,” he said. “Today’s geopolitical climate creates challenges for cultural organizations like ours around the world, as we are called upon to mediate conflicts beyond our control. … We are focused on our mission and working to ensure that our processes are about art and respectful dialogue.”
“AGO Trustee Judy Schulich stepped in to block the acquisition of new work by Jewish-American artist Nan Goldin,” the open letter reads. “According to minutes of the meeting, Goldin was labeled anti-Semitic and her speech was dismissed as ‘full of lies.’ … Donors using wealth and institutional power to intimidate curators, override professional decision-making, and censor artists are antithetical to artistic freedom.”
Golding himself got involved, telling The Art Newspaper: “This shows that money and power guarantee immunity, even when there is explicit scrutiny of artists. It raises questions about the priorities of this museum. Does that committee (which has since been disbanded) have the same influence as the board of directors?”
In response to controversy and an independent governance review, the AGO announced last week that it would split its modern and contemporary curatorial working committee into two: one focused on 20th-century art and the other on 21st-century art. The change is planned for later in 2026.
Although the acquisition failed, the AGO retains three of Golding’s photographs in its permanent collection: Brian’s three-bed hotel room in Merida, Mexico (1982), Cody’s dressing room at New York Boys Bar (1991), and My bed, Hotel Louisiana, Paris (1996).
