Three artists who sued the Tate for victimization, alleging breach of contract and racial discrimination, have spoken of their experiences after it agreed to pay them a six-figure settlement.
The action was taken after the institution told one of the women tasked with leading a major year-long program that it could not work with Jade Montserrat, an artist who has made allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior against art. dealer Anthony d’Offe.
D’Offe, who denies all allegations against him, was one of the most influential figures in the world of contemporary British art and a major donor to the Tate, which cut ties with him in 2018 amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior by three women.
A claim for discrimination, victimization and harassment under the Equality Act was issued this year against the Tate by Amy Sharrocks, who was due to be a featured artist in the 2020-21 season of the Tate’s renowned exchange programme. She worked with Montserrat and Madeleine Cauley, co-curator.
Although Tate did not admit liability, she offered a settlement after the claim was filed at Central London District Court in January. The institution also asked Sharrocks to withdraw a freedom of information request.
Sharrocks told the Guardian how she was thrilled to be asked to do a major work across three Tate sites on the theme of love for Tate Modern’s 20th anniversary.
She had enlisted Montserrat months earlier to work with her on a water-themed piece called A Rumor of Waves, but was shocked when a senior executive contacted her in July 2020 to say the artist had not can participate.
Sharrocks said that in conversations with senior Tate figures, Tate director Maria Balshaw described Montserrat as “hostile” to the institution, citing social media posts calling for the artist’s resignation. Balshaw is said to have argued that so much furore had been generated by Montserrat’s social media posts that it would not be “safe” for her or others to engage in collaboration with Tate and that she would be fired as a director by a board of trustees.
“The Tate’s job is to support artists, not donors,” Sharrocks said. “Tate forgot that when they insisted on removing Jade from a program she had helped develop.
“They gave me varying stories about why Jade couldn’t be allowed to do a live public program at the Tate – they said they would be sued, they would lose their jobs, that it was a legal issue, a safeguarding issue, that their hands were tied.”
She added: “Publicly, Tate claim to be focused on transformation and learning, risk, trust etc., but in practice they have quickly moved towards silence, exclusion and deletion.”
Tate rejected Sharrocks and her co-curators’ request for mediation and canceled A Rumor of Waves. Tate’s wider exchange programme, which ran at Tate Modern and Tate Liverpool for five years, was subsequently terminated in acrimonious circumstances.
While Tate cited funding cuts, others saw its closure as a step backwards, depriving it of space that allows community groups to shape Tate’s programming and undoing Tate’s commitment to social justice.
Montserrat accused Tate of being self-serving and dismissive of audiences and artists.
“From my experience of being around Tate and his mechanisms, my mental and physical health suffered as a result,” she added.
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Kohli said the closure of the Tate Exchange showed the Tate was unable to nurture complex discussions by prioritizing the safety and well-being of artists and contributors.
“We sincerely hope that this agreement is a small step that paves the way for serious reflection by management and the governing board and that it can lead to some significant changes in their processes of care and support for the arts workers who engage , and broader communities they serve,” she said.
Georgina Calvert-Lee, a barrister who defended 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 gender, race and any other protected characteristic.
“The case aims to establish the principle that galleries should not discriminate against the artists and external curators who put on their exhibitions, as well as the members of the public who go to see them,” added Calvert-Lee, a former employee of the firm McAllister Olivarius.
A Tate spokesman said: “The Tate invited Amy Sharrocks to be lead artist for a public engagement project planned for 2020. She suggested the inclusion of several other people by asking that they also be appointed as lead artists, which was not in line with the terms of her contract.
“It became clear to Ms Sharrocks that the arrangements she had proposed were not achievable and after much consultation the project was ultimately cancelled. Although it was a carefully considered decision, Tate regrets the way the relationship ended. In addition to reaching a settlement with those affected, we have apologized for the distress caused.
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