Veterans and Artists Protest MoMA's Ties to Controversial Board Members Amid Growing Scrutiny of Cultural Funding

In January 2020, the Museum of Modern Art in New York received a letter from 45 U.S. war veterans demanding the institution cease accepting funding from sources they deem 'toxic.' The signatories, part of the Veteran Art Movement, sent their message in solidarity with approximately thirty exhibitors from the MoMA PS1 exhibition 'Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991–2011,' who had also called for the museum to cut ties with controversial board members. The protests specifically target board members Larry Fink, linked to BlackRock, and Leon Black, associated with Constellis Holdings (formerly Blackwater), accusing their companies of profiting from war and domestic injustice. This action occurs within a broader context of increasing scrutiny over the sources of cultural institution funding in the United States. A significant precedent was set in July 2019 when Warren B. Kanders resigned as vice-chairman of the Whitney Museum following months of protests over his ownership of Safariland, a manufacturer of military and law enforcement equipment, including tear gas reportedly used against migrants. Earlier, the Guggenheim and Metropolitan Museum of Art announced they would no longer accept donations from the Sackler family, associated with Purdue Pharma, following advocacy led by photographer Nan Goldin and her group PAIN. These interconnected protests highlight a growing movement demanding ethical accountability from museums regarding their donors and board members.