Top Art Magazine Editor Fired After Open Letter on Israel-Hamas: Report

The editor in chief of Artforum has said he has “no regrets” after being fired Thursday night by the respected art magazine’s publishers after an open letter surrounding the Israel-Hamas crisis appeared on its website. Claiming the open letter failed to meet the organization’s standards, David Velasco fired back, telling The New York Times: “I’m disappointed that a magazine that has always stood for freedom of speech and the voices of artists has bent to outside pressure.” Velasco had been with the company since 2005. The open letter has been signed by thousands of those in the art industry, including Velasco, and said, in part: “We support Palestinian liberation and call for an end to the killing and harming of all civilians, an immediate ceasefire, the passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the end of the complicity of our governing bodies in grave human rights violations and war crimes.” In a follow-up statement, publishers Danielle McConnell and Kate Koza did not comment on Velasco’s termination, but claimed the letter was “not consistent with Artforum’s editorial process.” They did not respond to comment from the Times. It is unclear who wrote the letter.