Overview
- Internal records reviewed by The Globe and Mail show trustee and donor Judy Schulich led the case against acquiring Nan Goldin’s video Stendhal Syndrome, questioning the artist and the work’s merits and raising funding concerns.
- The modern-and-contemporary collections committee voted 11–9 in May 2025 to decline the acquisition after some members labeled Goldin’s views on Israel offensive or antisemitic.
- Four resignations followed the decision, including modern-and-contemporary curator John Zeppetelli and three volunteer committee members.
- The AGO commissioned an independent governance review, and a spokesperson acknowledged that personal political views entered a discussion that should have focused on acquisition criteria.
- The Vancouver Art Gallery and the Walker Art Center proceeded with the joint purchase without the AGO, and the work has been on view in Vancouver since November.