Why Did the Whitney Museum Cancel a Political Art Exhibition?

Within 24 hours, online critics pushed the New York museum to reconsider an exhibition that many saw as “predatory.” Why?

Show Notes

Reporters Valentina Di Liscia and Hakim Bishara join me to discuss the Whitney Museum’s decision to cancel the exhibition Collective Actions: Artist Interventions In a Time of Change, which was scheduled to open on September 17. 

They both reported on the story this Tuesday, and now offer their own insights into the larger questions raised by this controversy, including how museums should collect, what role should artists have in the acquisition process, and if museums are getting better or worse at dealing with issues of racial and economic equity in their collections.

This episode will get you up to speed about the fast-moving story and what it tells us about the Whitney and other contemporary museums today.

A special thanks to Tyler James Bellinger for providing his track “Champagne” for this week’s episode. You can visit Apple Music or YouTube, for more information.

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What is Hyperallergic?

News, developments, and stirrings in the art world with host Hrag Vartanian, cofounder and editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic.