Amid “allegations of inappropriate behavior” against celebrated Brookline photographer Nicholas Nixon, Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art announced today that its exhibition “Nicholas Nixon: Persistence of Vision” will remain on view.
“Balancing diverging opinions within the ICA community as well as a commitment to thoughtful and due process, we will continue to keep this exhibition on view,” the museum announced this afternoon. (Read the full statement below.) “And in the spirit of being a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, we are sharing the spectrum of opinion of many different ICA staff on this topic on our website and invite the public to participate in this online forum, which will go live shortly.”
On March 23, Wonderland was the first to report that Nixon had abruptly retired earlier that month from his longtime teaching position at Massachusetts College of Art and Design amid “allegations of inappropriate behavior,” according to a message sent out the day before by David Nelson, the Boston school’s president, to students, staff and alums.
On Tuesday, The Boston Globe published accounts from former students describing the allegations against Nixon in more detail: “For one assignment, the acclaimed professor asked students to photograph seven people they wanted to sleep with. For another, a female student was allegedly told to shoot 10 penises, while a male counterpart was asked to snap 10 vaginas. And why not start the assignment, the professor suggested, with each other?”
The Nixon exhibition at the ICA has been scheduled to remain on view through April 22.
The ICA’s full April 6 statement:
“On April 4, The Boston Globe reported accounts of inappropriate behavior by artist Nicholas Nixon. This raises important questions about the relationship between art and an artist’s behavior, the responsibility incumbent on the museum in presenting an artist’s work, and the distinction between artistic freedom and academic codes of conduct. Balancing diverging opinions within the ICA community as well as a commitment to thoughtful and due process, we will continue to keep this exhibition on view. And in the spirit of being a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, we are sharing the spectrum of opinion of many different ICA staff on this topic on our website and invite the public to participate in this online forum, which will go live shortly.”
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