Punta della Dogana removes Saul Fletcher's work after femicide

Following the murder-suicide of British artist Saul Fletcher, who killed his partner, art historian and curator Rebeccah Blum, on July 22, 2020 in Berlin, Punta della Dogana in Venice removed his installation from the group show "Untitled 2020" at Fondazione Pinault. The gallery issued a statement on September 4, 2020, citing respect for Blum's memory and solidarity with women victims of violence. Dealer Alison Jacques, who represented Fletcher, also removed all traces of the artist from her website. The decisions sparked online debate about whether it is right to remove an artist's work after a grave crime, or whether art should be judged independently. Critics accused the institutions of censorship, while supporters argued for ethical reflection on the values art conveys. The article, by Marco Senaldi, critiques the binary framing of the debate, noting that both sides implicitly accept that an artwork's significance derives from the prestige of the institution exhibiting it, rather than from the work itself. Senaldi also suggests that psychological scrutiny of Fletcher's work might have revealed troubling signs.