Johnson Study Group demands MoMA remove Philip Johnson's name

The Museum of Modern Art in New York has received a formal request from the Johnson Study Group to strip architect Philip Johnson's name from its buildings and titles due to his associations with white supremacist beliefs. Johnson, who was the architect behind 550 Madison Avenue and the inaugural director of MoMA's architecture and design department (1932–1936, 1946–1954), also served on the board starting in 1957. His past includes investigations for Nazi affiliations, contributions to an antisemitic publication, and efforts to establish a fascist party in Louisiana. The letter, endorsed by 38 architects and designers, has backing from six of the ten contributors to MoMA's upcoming exhibition "Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America" (opening February 20). MoMA has yet to issue a response.