Philip Guston Exhibition Postponed to 2024 Amid Controversy Over KKK Imagery
The National Gallery of Art, Tate Modern, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have postponed the exhibition Philip Guston Now until 2024 due to worries surrounding Guston's late-1960s works depicting Ku Klux Klan figures. Museum leaders are seeking additional time to better understand Guston's commentary on social and racial justice. Darren Walker from the Ford Foundation supported the delay, referencing shifts in the American landscape regarding racial imagery. However, critics like Robert Storr and Mark Godfrey argue that this postponement misreads Guston's anti-racist message. An open letter signed by hundreds of artists calls for the exhibition's reinstatement, accusing the institutions of acting out of 'white guilt.' The delay may also facilitate potential changes within these institutions.
Key facts
- Philip Guston Now exhibition postponed to 2024
- Involved institutions: National Gallery of Art, Tate Modern, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Concerns center on Guston's late-1960s paintings of Ku Klux Klan figures
- Darren Walker cited changed context regarding racial imagery in the US
- Critics include curators Robert Storr and Mark Godfrey
- Open letter in The Brooklyn Rail signed by hundreds demands show restoration
- Guston changed his name from Goldstein in the 1930s
- Contemporary artists Trenton Doyle Hancock and Glenn Ligon contributed to catalogue
Entities
Artists
- Philip Guston
- Dana Schutz
- Diego Rivera
- Trenton Doyle Hancock
- Glenn Ligon
- Robert Storr
- Mark Godfrey
- Musa Mayer
Institutions
- National Gallery of Art
- Tate Modern
- Museum of Fine Arts Houston
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Ford Foundation
- Whitney Biennial
- The Brooklyn Rail
- The Art Newspaper
- ArtNews
- The New York Times
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Locations
- Washington
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Houston
- Boston
- Russia