3 weeks ago
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A major Jewish arts patron has resigned from all her voluntary positions within UK arts institutions over the “alarming rise of antisemitism” and “the tacit normalisation of hate” in her sector.
Candida Gertler, co-founder of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund, announced her decision after Goldsmiths’ Centre for Contemporary Art at the University of London said on Monday that it would remove her and her husband’s names from one of its galleries and its donor board, following a months-long boycott by anti-Israel activists.
The move comes after more than 1,100 artists and art workers signed an open letter calling on Tate to cut ties with Outset. Signatories of the letter include the current Turner Prize nominee Jasleen Kaur, as well as past Turner Prize winners Helen Cammock, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Charlotte Prodger, according to Art Newspaper.
Outset, which Gertler co-founded in 2003, has raised over £16 m ($20.3 million) for the arts, earning her an OBE “for services to Contemporary Visual Arts and Arts Philanthropy”.
The fund also contributes to Israeli art institutions, and Gertler is a committee member of the British Friends of Art Museums in Israel.
Gertler is married to billionaire German-British real estate developer Zak Gertler, who reportedly hosted Benjamin Netanyahu’s 70th birthday party in 2019 and donated to the prime minister’s political campaigns.
Gertler wrote in her resignation letter: “It is with profound reflection and a heavy heart that I announce my resignation from all voluntary positions within UK arts institutions. This decision comes not out of fear, weakness, or defeat, but as an act of principled protest against the alarming rise of antisemitism and the tacit normalization of hate within physical and online spaces meant to foster creativity and inclusion.
“As someone who has dedicated much of my life to supporting contemporary art, championing dialogue, and creating platforms for diverse voices, I can no longer stand silent when institutions, intimidated by violent and aggressive activism that dismisses dialogue, or any kind of communication fails to uphold the foundational values of equality and respect. Recent revelations of vile antisemitic sentiments in these spaces have shocked and appalled me. These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader culture that seeks to marginalise and dehumanise Jews.
“My decision to step away from these roles is an effort to spotlight this urgent issue. I cannot, in good conscience, lend my name or efforts to a sector that does not take a resolute stand against hatred and the silencing of a plurality of views. While hate-filled, often libellous content was published and negotiated in their field of responsibility none of the respective institutions had the courtesy or courage to contact me so that my first source of information were an unreliable press and social media. It was me who had to reach out and ask for more precise information. To remain silent or complicit in such a climate would undermine everything I have worked to achieve.
“This is not an abdication of my commitment to art or to cultural support. On the contrary, I intend to dedicate myself to combating antisemitism and all forms of bigotry with renewed vigour. I call on my peers, collaborators, and allies in the art world to join me in holding our institutions accountable, creating physical and virtual spaces that genuinely uphold diversity, and ensuring that the principles of justice and inclusion are not mere rhetoric but lived realities.
“I remain hopeful that together we can confront this darkness and rebuild a cultural landscape where all identities are respected and celebrated. Until that day, I will continue to fight — not from within these structures, but alongside those who demand better.
“Thank you for your understanding. This is not a goodbye to art but a reimagining of how it can be a force for true societal change. To those who regard this as a victory I urge you to ask yourselves what this actually has achieved for the people you wish to help.”
English (US) ·