Three artworks by Eric Gill, a sculptor and artist who sexually abused his daughters, have been withdrawn from the exhibition 'It Takes A Village' at the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft in the UK, opening on 5 July. The works—two depicting his daughter Petra naked in a bath and one of a nude Elizabeth—were removed after the museum consulted with the Methodist Survivors Advisory Group, a group of abuse survivors. The survivors found the pieces offensive and potentially upsetting to visitors. The exhibition will still include Gill's watercolor 'Annunciation' in a separate room, and the museum's director, Stephanie Fuller, emphasized that the decision was led by the survivors' input.
This decision matters because it highlights the ongoing reckoning within the art world over how to handle the legacies of artists who committed serious abuses, particularly when their works depict their victims. By collaborating with survivors and prioritizing their perspectives, the museum is shifting from simply displaying controversial art to actively engaging with ethical questions of representation and harm. The exhibition also aims to give voice to Gill's daughters, celebrating their lives and creative achievements rather than defining them solely as victims, marking a more nuanced approach to difficult institutional histories.