Helen Cammock Withdraws Work from National Portrait Gallery, London
The piece’s withdrawal follows controversy surrounding its statement that Winston Churchill had intentionally starved the Indian population during the 1943 Bengal famine
.jpg%3F2026-06-29T15%3A03%3A21.517Z&w=3840&q=100)
Helen Cammock. Photo: Thierry Bal, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The artist Helen Cammock has withdrawn a video work, Persistence (2022), from the Artists First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery, reported the BBC. Cammock’s withdrawal follows controversy surrounding its statement that Winston Churchill had intentionally starved the Indian population during the 1943 Bengal famine.
In a statement, the artist said: ‘There is an incredible pressure on artists and arts institutions to bend to external pressure; to be benign at best and silent at worst… I do not accept this pressure. To question, challenge and explore ideas and histories is vital to a healthy society and art is intrinsic to this.’
The video work had been denounced earlier this month by Craig Simpson in The Telegraph, who argued that it formed an ‘attack on British leaders’. This provoked an open letter to the National Portrait Gallery, published by Churchill’s biographer, citing the falsity of Cammock’s statements. This was signed by over fifty people.
Related content
Valerie Hillings to Lead Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Francisco Correa Cordero, Founder of Lubov, Dies
Basquiat Works at Centre of Vancouver Fraud Lawsuit
News
Valerie Hillings to Lead Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
The North Carolina Museum of Art director returns to the project she helped shape for almost a decade ahead of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's opening in December
Francisco Correa Cordero, Founder of Lubov, Dies
The Mexico City-born dealer founded New York gallery Lubov in 2016, building a reputation for championing emerging artists and experimental practices
Basquiat Works at Centre of Vancouver Fraud Lawsuit
A multimillion-dollar art collection including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Javier Calleja is at the centre of an ongoing lawsuit linked to the collapse of Vancouver property developer Coromandel Properties
Campaigners Fight to Keep CCA Archive Intact
Creative Scotland is exploring ways to preserve the archive of Glasgow's former Centre for Contemporary Arts after campaigners warned the collection should not be treated as a liquidatable asset
.JPG%3F2026-08-03T13%3A56%3A07.102Z&w=3840&q=100)
Royal Museums Greenwich Workers Vote to Strike
Prospect union members will strike on 11 and 12 August over pay and working conditions
Trump Orders Smithsonian Signage to Warn of Political Bias
The White House alleges that the Smithsonian and the NMAH “have directed the museum’s mission... toward extreme political activism, rooted in Marxism, to divide, dispirit and discourage Americans”
Gagosian Scales Back in London and Basel
The exits are the latest in a series of mega-galleries downsizing, including Pace’s layoffs earlier this year and David Zwirner’s Manhattan departure
National Gallery Security Staff Segregated From Other Employees, Curator Claims
Outsourced security staff are being separated from other employees like “second class citizens”, a senior curator claims
_(14824992079).jpg%3F2026-07-31T14%3A31%3A56.766Z&w=3840&q=100)
Asper Family Pauses Support of Canadian Museum for Human Rights Following Palestine Exhibition
The lawyer and media magnate Izzy Asper was instrumental in setting up the museum when it was founded in 2008
Bogota Biennial Announces Curatorial Team for its Second Edition
The second biennial will explore the ecosystems of the Colombian capital city, and will take place in September 2027
V&A Storehouse Staff Vote Overwhelmingly in Support of Strike Action
100% of voters backed strike action concerning inadequate toilet and hydration breaks, with a total turnout of nearly 88%
Trump Administration’s New Tariffs Largely Exempt Art and Antique Imports
The wider decision to impose tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on around imports from 80 countries will probably be reviewed by the US Supreme Court
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Intel on the art market. Straight to your inbox.
