Artpress contributors resign over Claude Lévêque defense editorial

Twenty-three current and former contributors to the French art magazine artpress have published an open letter denouncing a recent editorial that defended artist Claude Lévêque, who is under investigation for the rape of a minor. The signatories, including Sandra Barré, Julie Crenn, Jill Gasparina, and Ingrid Luquet-Gad, accuse the magazine's editorial direction of imposing a monolithic, reactionary voice that undermines the diversity of its contributors. They recall a similar 1995 article by Michel Onfray defending Otto Muehl after his conviction. In response, artpress founder and director Catherine Millet reaffirmed the magazine's long-standing commitment to defending works independently of their authors' personalities and against censorship. She dismissed the comparison to Muehl as irrelevant due to differing legal contexts in Austria and France, and stated that the magazine's support for Muehl was primarily about protesting his detention conditions. Millet also suggested that some authors may have stopped being solicited because they wrote poorly. The letter was published on artpress.com on April 1, 2021.