Under the leadership of director Christopher Bedford, the Baltimore Museum of Art has made strides towards diversifying its collection. In 2018, the institution sparked a controversy when it deaccessioned works by white male artists like Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Franz Kline, and used proceeds from those sales to purchase pieces by Charles Gaines, Emma Amos, Faith Ringgold, Ana Mendieta, and other artists of color and women artists.
As part of those ongoing efforts, the BMA has revealed that it will only acquire artworks by women in 2020. The Baltimore Sun reports that this policy will apply to works of all mediums obtained through either purchase or donation in 2020.
“You don’t just purchase one painting by a female artist of color and hang it on the wall next to a painting by Mark Rothko,” Bedford told the newspaper. “To rectify centuries of imbalance, you have to do something radical.”
Photo Credit: Stephen Spartana, The Baltimore Museum of Art
