Julian Cox will step down as deputy director and chief curator of the Art Gallery of Ontario on April 13, concluding an eight-year tenure. The AGO's director praised Cox's impact on exhibitions, collection growth, and scholarship, stating his departure is not connected to recent institutional turmoil.
The exit follows a period of controversy for the AGO, which recently backed out of a planned acquisition of a video work by Nan Goldin after some committee members deemed her comments on the Israel-Gaza war antisemitic. That decision prompted the resignation of a curator and two committee members, highlighting internal tensions and raising questions about institutional governance and artistic freedom amidst political pressures.