Artforum fires Editor in Chief David Velasco Following Open Letter on Palestine

Artforum fired Velasco, who has worked at Artforum for eighteen years, after the editor published a letter signed by thousands of artists calling for a cease-fire. Yesterday, the magazine’s publishers, Penske Media, released a statement regarding an open letter in support of Palestine that had been published by Artforum on October 19. Their statement claimed that the letter had been shared “without our, or the requisite senior members of the editorial team’s, prior knowledge,” and that its presentation had been “widely misinterpreted as a statement from the magazine.”  In an email to The New York Times, Velasco has said, ‘I have no regrets. I’m disappointed that a magazine that has always stood for freedom of speech and the voices of artists has bent to outside pressure.

Artforum's statement on the open letter published on Artforum :

On Thursday, October 19, an open letter regarding the crisis in the Middle East was shared on Artforum’s website and social platforms without our, or the requisite senior members of the editorial team’s, prior knowledge. This was not consistent with Artforum’s editorial process. Had the appropriate members of the editorial team been consulted, the letter would have been presented as a news item with the relevant context.

The open letter was widely misinterpreted as a statement from the magazine about highly sensitive and complex geopolitical circumstances. While a meaningful expression of advocacy from a large group of people in our community, the letter as it appeared on our platforms lacked the necessary context to make clear that it originated from outside the magazine.

Our publication has a proud history of advocacy. That the letter was misinterpreted as being reflective of the magazine’s position understandably led to significant dismay among our readers and community, which we deeply regret. It also put members of our team in the untenable position of being represented by a statement that was not uniformly theirs.

We want to make clear that we unequivocally condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, and we are distraught at the immense destruction and suffering of the civilians in Gaza.

We understand our responsibility in our approach to complex conversations, and remain committed to upholding Artforum’s legacy of providing a platform that encourages thoughtful cultural dialogue, conversation, and debate. 

—Danielle McConnell and Kate Koza