Three artists who sued the Tate for victimization, alleging breach of contract and racial discrimination, have spoken out about their experiences after the Tate agreed to pay them a six-figure settlement.
The action came after the institution told one of the women, who had been tasked with leading a major year-long program, that she could not work with Jade Montserrat, an artist who has made allegations of ‘sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior against art. dealer Anthony d’Offay.
D’Offay, who denies all allegations against him, was one of the most powerful figures in the world of contemporary British art and a major donor to the Tate, which suspended contact with him in 2018 amid the allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior of three women. .
Amy Sharrocks, who was due to be the featured artist for the 2020-21 season of the famous Tate Exchange programme, issued a claim for discrimination, victimization and harassment under the Equality Act earlier this year. I was working with Montserrat and Madeleine Collie, co-curator.
Although Tate has not admitted liability, it offered a settlement after the lawsuit was filed at London County Court in January. The institution also asked Sharrocks to withdraw a Freedom of Information request.
Sharrocks told The Guardian how thrilled he had been to be asked to make a large body of work across three Tate sites on the theme of love for Tate Modern’s 20th anniversary.
She brought Montserrat on board months earlier to work with her on an aquatic-themed piece called A Rumor of Waves, but was surprised when a top executive contacted her in July 2020 to say the artist could not participate.
Sharrocks said that in discussions with senior Tate figures, Tate director Maria Balshaw described Montserrat as “hostile” to the institution, citing social media posts in which the artist called for her resignation. Balshaw is said to have claimed that such was the vitriol generated by Montserrat’s social media posts that it would not be “safe” for her or others to be involved in a collaboration at the Tate, and that she would be removed as director by the Board of Directors.
“The Tate’s job is to support artists, not donors,” said Sharrocks. “Tate forgot that when they insisted on excluding Jade from a program she had helped develop.
“They told me changing stories about why Jade couldn’t be allowed to take part in a live public show at the Tate – they said they would be sued, that they would lose their jobs, that it was a legal issue, a safeguarding issue, that their hands were tied.”
He added: “Publicly, Tate claims to be focused on transformation and learning, risk, trust and so on, but in practice they moved quickly to silence, exclude and erase.”
Tate rejected a request for mediation by Sharrocks and his co-curators and canceled A Rumor of Waves. The wider Tate Exchange programme, which ran at Tate Modern and Tate Liverpool for five years, was subsequently terminated in acrimonious circumstances.
While Tate has cited funding cuts, others see its closure as a step backwards, depriving it of a space to allow community groups to shape Tate’s program and undoing Tate’s commitment to social justice .
Montserrat accused the Tate of being selfish and relegating audiences and artists.
“From my experience of being around Tate and his machinery, my mental and physical health suffered as a result,” he added.
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Collie said the closure of the Tate Exchange demonstrated that the Tate was unable to foster complex discussions while prioritizing the safety and well-being of artists and collaborators.
“We sincerely hope that this agreement is a small step that paves the way for serious reflection by management and the board, and that it may lead to some significant changes in their processes of care and support for arts workers who hire and to the wider communities they serve,” he said.
Georgina Calvert-Lee, a barrister who acted for the three women, said: “If we are to live in an inclusive and diverse society, it is important that our national art galleries reflect these values by being open to all artists and curators, regardless of sex, race and any other protected characteristic”.
“The case sought to establish the principle that galleries must not discriminate against artists and external curators who present their exhibitions, nor against members of the public who go to see them,” added Calvert-Lee, formerly of the firm McAllister . olive grove
A Tate spokesman said: “Tate invited Amy Sharrocks to be the lead artist for a public engagement project scheduled for 2020. She proposed the involvement of other people, asking them to also be lead artists, which which was inconsistent with the terms of the Tate’s contract.
“It was made clear to Ms Sharrocks that the arrangements she proposed were not achievable and after lengthy consultations the project was ultimately cancelled. Although this was a carefully considered decision, Tate regrets the way end the relationship. In addition to reaching a settlement with those affected, we have apologized for the distress caused.”