The storm of revelations of sexual abuse that hit the world in 2017 raised a host of questions about the prominence of individuals accused of sexual abuse or harassment. These have many implications for the art world, as proven by recent controversies and debates, including public calls for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to take Balthus’s ‘Thérèse Dreaming’ off display and artist Sonia Boyce’s intervention at Manchester Art Gallery during which she temporarily removed John William Waterhouse’s ‘Hylas and the Nymphs’.
In a post-#MeToo world, is it acceptable to exhibit works of art which depict sexually abusive scenarios or which were created by perpetrators of sexual abuse? Where is the line between curating and censoring? What is the connection between an artist’s work and biography?
Please join us for a panel debate which will bring together curators and journalists to discuss the role of museums after #MeToo.