Artforum fires its editor-in-chief after her open letter on the war between Israel and Hamas

One of the world’s top art magazine editors was fired Thursday night after Artforum publishers said a staff decision to publish an open letter about the war between Israel and Hamas failed to meet the organization’s standards.

Editor-in-Chief David Velasco said he was fired after six years as Artforum’s leader. He has been working in this magazine, which is considered one of the most prestigious art magazines in the world, since 2005.

“I have no regrets,” Velasco said in an email. “I am disappointed that a magazine that has always championed freedom of expression and artists’ voices has yielded to outside pressure.”

It was signed by thousands of artists, academics and cultural workers, including Velasco Open letter dated October 19Which supported Palestinian liberation and criticized the silence of cultural institutions regarding the Israeli bombing of the residents of Gaza.

The message initially omitted reference to Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis, information that was added after criticism from subscribers and advertisers. An introduction was also added to say that the letter “reflects the views of the individual undersigned parties and is not authored, directed or initiated by Artforum or its employees.”

It is not clear who wrote the letter. Its signatories call for “an end to the killing and harm of all civilians, an immediate ceasefire, the passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and an end to the complicity of our governing bodies in gross human rights violations and war.” “crimes.”

The magazine’s publishers, Daniel McConnell and Kate Koza, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. in A blog post on the magazine’s website On Thursday evening, they criticized the decision as “inconsistent with Artforum’s editorial process.” The letter “was widely misinterpreted as a statement by the magazine about very sensitive and complex geopolitical circumstances,” they said in the post, which did not mention Velasco’s termination.

“Our publications have a proud history of advocacy,” they added. “The letter was misinterpreted to reflect the magazine’s position, resulting in significant discontent among readers and the community, for which we deeply regret.”

The open letter of October 19 was met with condemnation, Draw responses From figures in the world of art. On WhatsApp, campaigns were organized to discourage advertisers from working with the magazine.

“I think it was a complete betrayal of their readers,” said Michael Phillips Moskowitz, a curator and art collector. “I was characterized by arrogance with a lack of understanding of what led to this moment.”

Several prominent artists later removed their names from the October 19 letter, but it remained popular among many of the people who signed it, including those who said the goal was to call for peace.

“To manipulate the opinions of artists is to not understand the role of art,” said Cecilia Vicuña, the Chilean poet and artist who signed the letter, adding that she valued “the right to freedom of expression.”

Velasco joined Artforum in 2005 as an editorial assistant and became editor-in-chief in 2017 when the magazine’s leadership was accused of ignoring misconduct issues amid a sexual harassment suit against its publisher at the time, Nate Landesman. The lawsuit was later dismissed, but Velasco had to rebuild trust in the publishing brand. It was largely successful, restoring Artforum’s reputation as an authoritative source of art-world intrigue and criticism.

Before Velasco was fired, some artists defended him in a letter to Jay Penske, the tycoon of Penske Media Corporation, which… It was acquired recently Artforum, saying Velasco “created a courageous, uncompromising vision for the magazine.”

“David’s leadership at Artforum is needed now more than ever,” the letter read.