Nan Goldin says pro-Palestine activism destroyed her art market career

Nan Goldin has stated that her support for Palestine caused her art market to collapse overnight, unlike her previous activism against the Sackler family. In an interview with activist Mahmoud Khalil for Dazed magazine, Goldin discussed the 'Palestine Exception' to free speech in the US, citing a 2015 report by Palestine Legal. As leader of PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), Goldin successfully pressured museums to sever ties with the Sacklers, gaining media and academic support. However, her pro-Palestinian activism has led to professional and personal repercussions: wealthy New York collectors returned her works, and she faced institutional criticism at her retrospective at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin last year. Goldin noted that many rich New York collectors are Zionists. The artist, known for her decades of activism including ACT UP and the documentary 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' (Golden Lion at Venice 2022), said that speaking about Gaza was the final provocation that turned the art establishment against her. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has reported on economic interests in the occupation of Palestine, which Goldin says also affect the art system.