Artist Nan Goldin has recently accused the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) of censorship after it was revealed that the museum decided to withdraw from a joint acquisition of her video artwork “Stendhal Syndrome” (2024) due to her public support of Gaza. The controversy arose during a meeting in May 2025 when the acquisitions committee, including AGO trustee Judy Schulich, deemed Goldin’s speech in Berlin in 2024 as “offensive” and “antisemitic.”
Goldin, who is Jewish, spoke out in solidarity with Gaza during the opening reception of her traveling retrospective “This Will Not End Well” at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. She criticized the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon while also calling out Germany’s conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Despite her intentions, certain members of the acquisitions committee at AGO found her remarks unacceptable.
Following the internal memo leak of the committee’s vote, AGO curator John Zeppetelli, who had advocated for the acquisition, resigned from his staff role. Several volunteer committee members also resigned in protest. Those who supported acquiring Goldin’s piece argued that rejecting it based on the artist’s views amounted to censorship and did not find her speech to be antisemitic.
The situation escalated when independent journalist Samira Mohyeddin revealed that Schulich, a trustee at AGO, had labeled Goldin’s speech as antisemitic during the meeting. Schulich’s apparent comparison of Goldin to Leni Riefenstahl, a Nazi propaganda filmmaker, raised further concerns about censorship and bias within the committee.
In response to the backlash, AGO engaged an independent governance expert to review the matter. However, Goldin expressed disappointment in how her political views influenced the acquisition process. She emphasized the importance of free speech, especially concerning sensitive topics like Palestine.
Despite the setback at AGO, Goldin’s artwork “Stendhal Syndrome” found a home at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The piece is currently on display at the Vancouver Art Gallery, showcasing Goldin’s unique approach to blending classical art with personal photographs.
Goldin’s experience with institutional censorship is not new. She previously altered her iconic work “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” (1985) to include a slide expressing solidarity with Gaza, only to face pushback from the museum. Goldin remains steadfast in her advocacy for Gaza and stands by her belief that conflating antisemitism with anti-Zionism serves to deflect attention from ongoing atrocities.
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