the guardian | Nicola Slawson
More than 150 sign letter denouncing sexual harassment in art world
Letter signed by gallerists, artists, curators and arts administrators comes in the wake of allegations against Artforum co-publisher.
More than 150 artists, curators and museum directors, have signed a letter denouncing sexual harassment and abuses of power in the art world.
The letter comes in the wake of separate allegations against Knight Landesman, co-publisher of leading arts journal Artforum, who resigned on Wednesday hours after a lawsuit was filed in New York accusing him of sexually harassment.
It reads: “We are gallerists, artists, writers, editors, curators, directors, arts administrators, assistants, and interns — workers of the art world — and we have been groped, undermined, harassed, infantilised, scorned, threatened, and intimidated by those in positions of power who control access to resources and opportunities.”
The signatories of the letter, published in the Guardian on Monday, include American photographer Cindy Sherman, Turner prize winner Helen Marten, British art dealer and gallery owner Sadie Coles, Cuban-American artist Coco Fusco and Laura Barlow, Curator of Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha. The letter, which 2,000 more people have put their names to and which will be shared on social media platforms using the hashtag#notsurprised, says that “abuse of power comes as no surprise” and that the request of sexual favours in exchange for career advancement was commonplace…read more
Image:A visitor to the Tate looks at a Jackson Pollock painting | Photograph: Frank Baron for the Guardian