Vladimir Potanin, Russian Oligarch, Resigns from Guggenheim Board of Trustees

One of Russia’s richest men, Vladimir O. Potanin has been a major supporter of the Guggenheim Museum for 20 years, serving as a trustee and major philanthropist, and his foundation, including the current show about the Russian artist in New York sponsored exhibitions. Wassily Kandinsky.

However museum He said Wednesday that Mr. Potanin is stepping down from his position as one of the trustees, which he has held since 2002. He did not give any reasons for the decision, but the museum’s description referenced the war in Ukraine and Mr. Potanin was closely associated. With Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.

“Vladimir Potanin recommended to the Board of Trustees the decision to immediately resign from the post of Trustees,” Guggenheim said in a statement. “The Guggenheim accepts this decision and thanks Mr. Potanin for his service to the Museum and his support for the exhibition, conservation and education programmes.. The Guggenheim strongly condemns the Russian invasion and its unwarranted war against the Ukrainian government and people.”

Mr. Potanin is the latest of Russian artists and donors whose attitudes towards the war and his position in the world of culture have been discussed as anger against Russia. Russian invasion there you go.

On Tuesday, Petr Aven, a prominent Russian businessman, stepped down from the board of trustees at London’s Royal Academy of Arts and said he has turned his donation back to a current exhibition, “Francis Bacon: Man and Beast.” Mr. Aven had recently been subject to European Union sanctions. described it As “one of the closest oligarchs of Vladimir Putin”.

Valery Gergiev, Russian maestro and prominent supporter of Mr Putin, removed this week He was removed from his post as chief of the Munich Philharmonic after Mr Putin refused to condemn his invasion of Ukraine.

In London, Tate was faced with questions about his links to another prominent Russian oligarch. Viktor F. VekselbergListed as an honorary member of the Tate Foundation for his donations from 2013 to 2015, he and his company have been under US sanctions since 2018.

Leaders of arts organizations, many of whom have embraced the generosity of Russian donors and the art of their artists, have had to grapple with the question of how to respond to the spectrum of cultural figures in recent days. Some have become vocal supporters of Mr. Putin. Others succeeded in its midst and remained silent about the war in Ukraine.

“It’s complicated,” said John MacIntosh, managing partner at SeaChange Capital Partners, an organization that supports nonprofits. He said nonprofits cannot always be expected to fully review everyone they receive donations from. But they have to acknowledge that it creates a connection and implicitly provides at least some kind of authority over the donor.”

He reminded that similar questions arose about the money given to cultural institutions by the Sackler family, whose donations were once welcomed. growing restlessness He’s in the art world as his family’s drug interests become linked to the opioid crisis.

“There are times when we need to reflect on the connections we have and sometimes be with supportive people,” said Mr MacIntosh.

George Suttles, managing director of the Commonfund Institute, the research and education arm of the Commonfund, which manages the assets of nearly 50 cultural institutions across the country, said he was surprised how quickly some cultural institutions cut ties with Russian artists and donors. He said arts organizations need to have systems in place that can provide “a uniform way of understanding and measuring the cost-benefit analysis of cutting ties” with a partner.

“Part of what we’re seeing is that cultural institutions don’t have such a keen analysis or research infrastructure,” he added. “They were crashing.”

Mr. Potanin, a billionaire who made his fortune in banking and natural resources, including a large stake in one of the world’s largest nickel producers, was never sanctioned against him. However, like many wealthy men who have made their fortunes over the past few decades and held their fortunes while Mr. Putin ruled Russia, he is closely related to the Russian president. He was among a group of prominent oligarchs who met with Putin in the Kremlin last week, days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He did not comment on Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

A representative of Mr. Potanin’s foundation did not immediately return a request for comment.

Mr. Potanin also Kennedy Center awarded millions of dollars In Washington, where his name is written on a wall. The Center used some of the money donated by Mr. Potanin to set up a meeting space known as ““.Russian HallCreated and designed by important Russian artists and featuring artwork by Valery Koshlyakov”.

“This is a complex issue and we are actively evaluating the best way to address it in the short and long term,” said Brendan Padgett, spokesperson for the Kennedy Center, about his relationship with Mr. Potanin.

At the Guggenheim, Mr. Potanin also awarded a conservation scholarship called Without going into detail, the museum said it no longer “has a scholarship called the Potanin Conservation Fellowship”.

Mr. Potanin’s affiliation with the museum gained a high profile in 2005 when he helped fund his foundation’s research into 800 years of Russian art, from icons to 19th-century paintings. “Russia!” at the Guggenheim. Mr. Putin spoke at the opening in New York.

Over the last two decades, Russian money has provided a huge boost to arts organizations in the West, which Russian philanthropists often use to promote the arts. a positive image from their homeland.

In its support of the Kennedy Center, the center said Mr. Potanin’s foundation gave $450,000 to take on Russian programming, and the center said the last donation came in 2016. His company, Interros, donated $6.45 million in 2011, including $1.45 million for the Russian Lounge.

Accepting money from people or companies close to Putin poses an increased reputational risk for museums and other organizations, said Alina Polyakova, an assistant professor of European studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The more institutions linked to the Russian government, the more likely institutions the more they come under criticism or are added to sanctions lists.

While Mr. Putin’s intentions were not clear a decade ago when many organizations began taking money from oligarchs, now, “they are very clear,” he said.

There was also fallout for Russian artists in New York. Last week, Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Gergiev and Russian pianist Denis Matsuev shot down Out of a series of scheduled concerts due to the two men’s ties to Mr Putin.

Over the weekend, Peter Gelb, managing director of the Metropolitan Opera, Artists or other institutions supporting Mr Putin Until the conflict in Ukraine is over and peace is restored.

Superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, who has ties to Putin, is scheduled to appear in Puccini’s “Turandot” from April 30. Ms. Netrebko tried to get away from the occupation by posting a statement on social media. “It was against the war”.

The Metropolitan Opera has not made any announcements about Ms. Netrebko’s scheduled performances this spring, but Mr. Gelb He said in an interview on Tuesday He said the Met “stands by its position that artists supporting Putin will not be allowed to perform at the Met.”

When asked about Ms. Netrebko’s statement against the war, Mr. Gelb said, “In the case of someone so closely associated with Putin, it is not enough to condemn the war.”

Javier C. Hernández contributed to the reporting.