More evidence that Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough needs to quickly and publicly get out in front of the “Hide/Seek” “censorship” crisis comes in the Huffington Post arts section, with a piece posted yesterday by one of the lenders to that show, hedge fund specialist-turned-art finance advisor Jim Hedges. Following the lead of artist AA Bronson (who has now retained an attorney to help him get his painting back), Hedgie Hedges had wanted to yank (scroll down) from the National Portrait Gallery’s show his Jack Pierson “Self Portrait.”
Jim still feels conflicted (as I do) about the Smithsonian’s actions. But a recent meeting with Clough changed his mind about withdrawing the Pierson:
When we spoke, Mr. Clough described an environment in which he and
the Smithsonian leadership had been as thoughtful as they could be in
order to allow the arts discourse to take place on the playing field of
the arts, rather than at the Smithsonian overall—an institution that
includes a zoo, research and scientific organizations as well as museums
for the visual arts.By removing the Smithsonian from the arts/censorship debate, the
organization attempts to preserve its reputation for when it goes to
Capitol Hill for 2011 and 2012 budget requests.It appears to the author that having [Martin] Sullivan [director of the NPG] and the National
Portrait Gallery fall on their sword was precisely what was needed for
the larger Smithsonian to distance itself from the controversy and
retain its ability to seek Congressional support for approximately $760
million per year….I have made a decision to rescind my request to remove Jack Pierson’s work from the “Hide/Seek” show [emphasis added]….And so to Mr. Clough, I say, thank you for five more weeks of lending me
your real estate so that the curators’ visions can be seen by thousands
of visitors. I hope that as many members of Congress as possible get a
chance to see Jack Pierson’s masterpiece.
Clough has indicated that he will soon come out of hiding, seeking opportunities to explain his position. Given his effectiveness in influencing one skeptic, that can’t happen soon enough.