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The Art Gallery of Ontario, one of Canada’s most internationally recognized museums, has chosen not to purchase a work by Nan Golding because of her comments about Israel’s Gaza war, according to a report released by the Art Gallery of Ontario. globe and mail Wednesday.
The piece, a 2024 video, is titled Stendhal syndrometo be acquired in partnership with the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The work, based on 35mm slides showing blurry images of semi-nude figures and centuries-old sculptures, was ultimately purchased by the two institutions, although the AGO ultimately stepped in. The work is currently on display at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
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according to globe and mailthe AGO’s takeover committee voted against the takeover Stendhal syndromewhich did not explicitly address Israel, Palestine or the Gaza war. According to an internal memo obtained by the publication, the reason was not the political content of the piece but past statements by Goldin, an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian cause.
Her most notable remarks came in 2024 at the opening of an exhibition at the Neues Nationalgalerie in Berlin. At that event, she told the crowd about what she called an ignored “genocide” in Germany. “The word anti-Semitism has been weaponized,” Goldin, who is Jewish, also said. “It loses meaning. Declaring all criticism of Israel anti-Semitic makes it harder to define and stop violent hatred against Jews.”
In a speech after Golding, Klaus Biesenbach, director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, said: “For us, there is no doubt about Israel’s right to exist. Hamas’s attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023 was a brutal act of terror and could not be justified in any way.”
this globe and mail The takeover committee was reportedly divided over Golding’s political views. Stephan Jost, the museum’s director and CEO, wrote in the memo that some members found her comments “offensive” and “anti-Semitic,” while others believed “rejecting the work because of the artist’s views is censorship.”
According to reports, John Zeppetelli, the museum’s curator of modern and contemporary art, resigned in response to the committee’s decision. He will continue to serve as guest curator for several months, during which time he will participate in the Diego Marcon exhibition. this globe and mail It was also reported that two members of the takeover committee resigned, without specifying which one.
During his resignation, Yost reportedly called for a review of the commission’s processes. “The conversation contained personal political views. It was not intended to be part of the process,” an AGO spokesperson said in a statement.
art news Golding has been contacted for comment.
This is not the first time since 2023 that AGO staff members have left their positions over issues related to Israel and Palestine. In 2023, Wanda Nanibush resigned as curator of Indigenous art after a Canadian affiliate of the Israel Museum drew attention to her “inflammatory, inaccurate rants against Israel,” as the organization wrote in a letter to AGO leadership. It’s unclear whether the letter prompted Nani Bush to leave, but her resignation follows the departure of a second indigenous art curator, sparking protests in the museum’s galleries.
