A senior curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) resigned after the museum's modern and contemporary curatorial working committee voted 11-to-9 against acquiring Nan Goldin's moving-image work "Stendhal Syndrome" (2024), citing allegations of antisemitism over remarks Goldin made in a 2024 speech at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie. The AGO had planned to jointly purchase the work with the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Walker Art Center, but pulled out in mid 2025; the other two institutions proceeded with the acquisition. Two volunteer members of the collections committee also resigned over the decision, according to a leaked memo obtained by The Globe and Mail.
This controversy matters because it highlights growing tensions in the art world over free speech, censorship, and the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, particularly in the context of the Israel-Gaza conflict. The rejection of a work by Goldin—a highly influential artist and activist—at a major Canadian public museum raises questions about institutional decision-making, donor influence, and the limits of artistic expression. Goldin herself called the move "chilling" and an attack on free speech, underscoring the broader implications for artists and museums navigating politically charged debates.