The Guggenheim’s First Black Curator Calls Out the Museum for Mistreatment
by Dana Givens

June 10, 2020

The Guggenheim’s First Black Curator Calls Out the Museum for Mistreatment

The recent protests calling for an end for racial injustice due to the recent deaths of black civilians at the hands of law enforcement officials have influenced many to speak out about the racial discrimination and misconduct they have experienced within their industry.

In 2019, Chaédria LaBouvier became the first black curator and the first black woman to curate an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City with her show, “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” explores the iconic artist’s aesthetic engagement with the hostility of law enforcement. At the time, the museum had come under heavy criticism about the lack of visibility given black artists.

As part of the #BlackoutTuesday initiative to stand in solidarity with the protesters, the museum issued a statement of support. Chaédria fired back at the tweet, citing the fact that she is the first black curator in the museum’s 80-year history.

She went on to talk about her relationship with the art institution in tweets calling out its racist behavior during her time there. “This is the same museum that made up an IMAGINARY designation of ‘first solo Black curator’ b/c they were too afraid to admit that they had not hired a Black curator to lead a show in 80 years and erased me and history in the process,” she tweeted. “They are full of s–t.”

 


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