For 20 years, Vladimir O. Potanin, one of the richest men in Russia, has been a major supporter of the Guggenheim Museum. Kandinsky.
But the museum said on Wednesday that Mr. Potanin is stepping down as one of its trustees, a position he has held since 2002. It gave no reason for the decision, but the museum’s statement referred to the war in Ukraine, and Mr. Potanin has been closely associated with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
“Vladimir Potanin has notified the Board of Trustees of his decision to step down as Trustee with immediate effect,” the Guggenheim said in a statement. “The Guggenheim accepts this decision and thanks Mr. Potanin for his services to the museum and his support for exhibitions, conservation and educational programs† The Guggenheim strongly condemns the Russian invasion and the unprovoked war against the government and people of Ukraine.†
mr. Potanin is the latest in a line of Russian artists and donors whose views on the war and positions in the cultural world have been challenged as outrage over the Russian invasion mounts.
On Tuesday, Petr Aven, another prominent Russian businessman, stepped down as a trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, saying it was returning his donation towards a current exhibition, “Francis Bacon: Man and Beast.” Mr Aven was recently sanctioned by the European Union, which described him as “one of Vladimir Putin’s closest oligarchs”.
Valery Gergiev, the Russian maestro and a prominent supporter of Mr Putin, was removed this week from his position as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic after he refused to denounce Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In London, the Tate was faced with questions about his connections to another prominent Russian oligarch, Viktor F. Vekselberg, who is listed as an honorary member of the Tate Foundation in recognition of donations he made from 2013 to 2015. under US sanctions since 2018.
Leaders of artistic organizations, many of whom have embraced the generosity of Russian donors and the artistry of their artists, have struggled in recent days with how to respond to the spectrum of its cultural figures. Some have been vocal supporters of Mr Putin. Others thrive in its midst and remain silent on the issue of the war in Ukraine.
“It’s complicated,” said John MacIntosh, managing partner of SeaChange Capital Partners, an organization that supports nonprofits. He said nonprofits cannot be expected to always fully vet everyone from whom they receive donations “from the beginning.” But they have to recognize that it does create a connection and that they implicitly give at least some kind of imprimatur to the donor.”
He recalled that similar questions had been raised about money given to cultural institutions by the Sackler family, whose donations, once welcomed, were later greeted with growing unease in the art world as the family’s pharmaceutical interests became linked to the opioid crisis.
“There are times when we need to think about the connections we have and sometimes say goodbye to people who have supported us,” said Mr MacIntosh.
George Suttles, the executive director of the Commonfund Institute, Commonfund’s research and education arm that manages the assets of about 50 cultural institutions across the country, said he noticed how quickly some cultural institutions are cutting ties with Russian artists and donors. had broken. Arts organizations must have systems in place that can provide a “unified way to understand and measure the cost-benefit analysis of severing ties” with an employee, he said.
“Part of what we’re seeing is that cultural institutions don’t have that sharp analysis or research infrastructure,” he added. “They were upset.”
Mr Potanin, a billionaire who made his fortune from banking and natural resources, including a large stake in one of the world’s largest nickel producers, has never been sanctioned against him. But as with many of the rich men who have made fortunes over the decades and kept them while Mr Putin ruled Russia, he is closely associated with the Russian president. He was among a group of leading oligarchs who met Mr Putin in the Kremlin last week, days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has not commented on Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
A representative of Mr Potanin’s foundation did not immediately return a request for comment.
Mr. Potanin has also given millions of dollars to the Kennedy Center in Washington, where his name is engraved on a wall. The center used some of the money Mr. Potanin donated to install a meeting space known as the “Russian Lounge,” which was created and designed by prominent Russian artists and features artwork by Valery Koshlyakov.
“This is a complicated issue and we are actively assessing the best way to address it in the short and long term,” said Brendan Padgett, a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center, of the partnership with Mr. Potanin.
At the Guggenheim, Mr. Potanin had also awarded a nominated conservation grant in 2019. The museum said it now “no longer has a named Potanin Conservation Fellowship,” without elaborating further.
Mr. Potanin’s relationship with the museum received significant attention in 2005 when his foundation helped fund an 800-year study of Russian art, from icons to 19th-century paintings, simply called “Russia!” at the Guggenheim. Mr Putin spoke at the opening in New York.
Over the past two decades, Russian money has provided a major boost to arts organizations in the West, where Russian philanthropists have often used art to promote a positive image of their homeland.
In its support for the Kennedy Center, Mr. Potanin’s foundation has given $450,000 to ensure Russian programming, with the last donation in 2016, the center said. His company Interros donated $6.45 million in 2011, including $1.45 million for the Russian Lounge.
War Between Russia and Ukraine: Important Things to Know
A city is conquered. Russian troops captured Kherson, the first Ukrainian city to be conquered during the war. Overtaking Kherson is important because it will allow the Russians to seize more of Ukraine’s southern coastline and move west to the city of Odessa.
Alina Polyakova, of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington and an adjunct professor of European studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, said accepting money from individuals or companies close to Mr Putin poses increased reputational risk. for museums and other institutions, as more entities associated with the Russian government are likely to face more criticism or be added to sanctions lists.
While Mr. Putins’ intentions may not have been clear a decade or so ago when many organizations started taking money from the oligarchs, they are now, she said, “crystalline.”
There is also fallout for Russian artists in New York. Last week, Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Philharmonic have removed Mr Gergiev and Russian pianist Denis Matsuev from a series of scheduled concerts due to the two men’s ties to Mr Putin.
Over the weekend, Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s director general, said the institution would not contact artists or other institutions that have expressed support for Putin until fighting in Ukraine ends and peace is restored.
Superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, who has ties to Mr. Putin, is scheduled to appear in Puccini’s “Turandot” at the Met on April 30. Ms Netrebko has tried to distance herself from the invasion by posting a statement on social media saying she was “against this war”.
The Metropolitan Opera has made no announcement about Ms. Netrebko’s planned performances this spring, but Mr Gelb said in an interview on Tuesday that the Met “stands by its position that artists who support Putin should not perform during the Learned.”
Asked about Ms Netrebko’s statement against the war, Mr Gelb said: “In the case of someone so closely associated with Putin, denouncing the war is not enough.”
Javier C. Hernández reported.