AGO trustee, major donor Judy Schulich led internal push to prevent Nan Goldin acquisition

The internal push to prevent the Art Gallery of Ontario from acquiring a work by photographer-activist Nan Goldin last year – which has led to four resignations – was prompted by the philanthropic executive Judy Schulich, according to documentation reviewed by The Globe and Mail.

The Globe reported last week that the Toronto gallery’s modern and contemporary collections committee narrowly voted to not acquire Ms. Goldin’s video work, Stendhal Syndrome, after a heated discussion during a meeting in May, 2025. In the meeting, some committee members alleged that the Jewish-American artist’s views on Israel were “offensive” and “antisemitic,” according to an internal memo from AGO director and chief executive Stephan Jost that was revealed by The Globe last week.