Senior curator Mark Godfrey leaves Tate Modern following controversy over postponed Philip Guston retrospective

Mark Godfrey is stepping down from his position as senior curator at Tate Modern in London as part of the museum's voluntary layoff program, a measure taken due to downsizing from the impact of COVID-19. His exit follows a suspension last year after he made comments about the delay of a major Philip Guston retrospective, which was postponed over concerns regarding the artist's Ku Klux Klan imagery. Godfrey labeled the postponement as "extremely patronising," suggesting it underestimated viewers' ability to understand the artist's complex themes. On Instagram, he recently noted he has only a few weeks left at the gallery, sharing an image of Joan Snyder's 1971 work Dark Stroke Hope and expressing a desire to see it exhibited again. A Tate spokesperson acknowledged Godfrey's remarkable contributions to exhibitions and acquisitions during his tenure.