Letter to The Guggenheim Museum: On ‘Artistic License’ and ‘Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story’

Joseph Kohlmann
Nov 3 · 4 min read
A spiraling line of museum patrons waits to enter the Basquiat exhibition on a crisp Sunday afternoon at The Guggenheim Museum.

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this because I have to.

This year I’ve had the privilege of visiting The Guggenheim Museum twice: once for the Artistic License exhibition, and again today for Chaédria LaBouvier’s guest curated exhibit Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story.

These exhibitions are the start of a restorative justice in the art world, to which this and other institutions must solemnly commit themselves if they have any hope of remaining relevant, today and in the years to come.

The reason is simple: museum culture has curatorial problem. For centuries, it has overlooked the work of black and brown artists, instead filling galleries with hundreds of pieces from white artists. The act of overlooking is a choice, and it is deeply, disquietingly violent. And further, it does not serve the interests of the art-loving public, whose ranks are far more diverse than the staff and archives of most museums in this city. The truth is, museum goers have collectively seen too much of the Kandinsky’s, Monet’s, and Picasso’s; and not nearly enough of the David Hammon’s, Romare Bearden’s, Michael Stewart’s, and John-Michel Basquiat’s in these halls.

This deficit, in spite of its gravity, does represent a tremendous opportunity: to showcase creative works by those who have been overlooked, and in doing so, lay the foundation for the next generation of artists. These are the true beneficiaries: those who will come to these exhibitions and recognize artists who look like them; who speak like them; who view the world through eyes and lenses they recognize; whom they have never before seen in this location. In departing, perhaps these very same visitors might say to themselves, “watch this space!” (Art is for the living, after all.)

At best, exhibits like these are a glimpse of a future in which the great museums of this city are filled with artworks whose beauty, poignancy, and relevance meets or exceeds that of their white, mostly male counterparts, whose works have already been hoarded and elevated by white curators for decades. The nature of this imbalance is ultimately rooted in questions of time, presence, and emphasis — or lack thereof. It has nothing to do with the quality or availability of the art itself — in many cases it just means any given didn’t think it was worth collecting or putting these works on display until now. In light of these obstacles, it means something very powerful to fill this entire museum with pieces by black and brown artists, as selected by black and brown curators.

In short, these exhibits cannot and must not be one-offs. The staff of The Guggenheim Museum must recommit to working with underrepresented artists and curators — and to elevate them to the same heights, treat them with the same prestige, as every other white artist or curator whose work has ever been shown here. I have to imagine there is already the conceit amongst some to think, “we’ve already had one of those exhibits”. I am here to dissuade you of that conceit, now and forever.

In doing so, the museum must also take care to avoid the most pernicious, exploitive tendencies that come with the temptation to willingly take the art whilst spurning the artists and curators. At worst, these exhibits are, both behind the scenes and out in public for all to see, an uphill battle, filled with silent trauma and micro- and macro-aggressive slights, just for these artists to make it here at all. It does not take a scholar or art critic to recognize these issues — you just need to turn to face it.

What does it say that the exhibition curated by the first black woman in the museum’s 80-year history isn’t even listed on the exhibition directory by the elevator at the ground floor of the building? (I had to ask one of the ticket checkers to please direct me as I came in today.)

Or that a talk planned on the eve of its closure conspicuously excluded the curator?

Or that the museum released derivative digital works against the curator’s wishes?

Or that two white men were allowed to preempt the curator whilst giving a tour to the wife of a president?

Or that the curator has been barred from even the de-installation of the exhibit?

Why would black female curators want to work with the Guggenheim after these incidents?

It is wrong to not just take the art, but to revictimize the tremendous trauma and pain expounded simply by being a black woman in the art world — to say nothing of the traumas seen by the curated artist and subjects themselves. What is the crime? Is it “exhibiting art while black?” Is it demanding the same treatment as white curators? Is it speaking up in the face of racism in the museum world? You tell me.

In closing, I want to signal my appreciation for the museum’s efforts to reach this point. I tremendously enjoyed the art on display and have clearly found much to be inspired by, much to think about. The point is: keep going, and expect to work at this for a very long time. I myself will be watching and listening carefully for what comes next. My sincere hope is that you may to rise to meet the occasion of this epochal reckoning with deep-seated cultural and societal violence.

At least, we are witnesses to this moment. At best, we are providers of the space for the victims of violence to become visible and heal themselves.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Joseph G. Kohlmann

Senior software eng @nytimes. Dev+design, HCI, listening, empathy, house🎵, black feminism, ending unfair bias, #BlackLivesMatter, antiwhiteness, broken systems

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