What happened this year? Obviously, PC-washing art makes for a dull show. And with activists now running the museum, this may very well be the last Biennial (and if not, it should be).

 

As a long-time member of the Whitney, I am annoyed and nonplussed that the museum has allowed this to happen. No backbone. I’d like to see every trustee and board member resign in protest against this “tainted money” witchhunt. Let’s see how the provocateurs manage to keep this, or any museum, afloat.

And I wonder if the artists who asked to withdraw their work will now allow the activists to vet all their future (and past) collectors to make sure only those deemed pure enough will be allowed to acquire their work?

At the moment, it feels more than a bit hypocritical, like having their cake and eating it too. Once the artists milked the biennial for everything it had to offer, they dropped out. They’ve gotten their press, their Instagrams, their sales.

UPDATE: As of Sunday morning, all the artists were back in since Kanders had resigned.

I predict, however, that given how easily the activists were able to manipulate the Whitney to do their bidding, this is not the end of their protests. Ken Griffin, the trustee and hedge-fund billionaire who resigned for a nano-second last week, might yet get another chance to resign, this time perhaps he’ll not waffle on his decision! Giving money, giving time, serving on boards, philanthropy in general should not end up being an exercise in humiliation.

If you haven’t guessed, I’m agitated about this! Warren Kanders is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s coming.

Any trustee or company whose wealth comes from doing business with the government or the US military should consider themselves fair game. As is any company supplying police cars (watch out Ford Foundation!) or consumer goods companies like Coca Cola who use plastic bottles or make sugary, unhealthy beverages. The list of targets goes on and on.

Very challenging times ahead for cultural institutions. I see pink slips coming.

 

In the meantime, scroll down for photos from this year’s bland biennial (with three notable exceptions).

 

BUT THERE WERE SOME STANDOUTS: