First they came...
Let's be perfectly clear about one thing: It's not artists splashing red paint on doorsteps. Therefore, it's not art. It's vandalism—a crime—committed by vandals. And let nobody so much as think of raising the self-expression defense of Graffiti. Graffiti—now known as “tagging”— is a signature claimed by a particular individual, one who may claim copyright to the “tag's” distinctive “style.” Graffiti itself is also vandalism, but with one, peculiar, difference. Vandals hide from the fact. They deny committing the act of vandalism.
Unlike random acts of vandalism, Taggers take credit for tagging. I am not defending taggers. I am defending artists. If the splashing of red paint aimed at personal property by vandals is legitimate expression, then why cannot an artist's expression by casual splashing of red paint be interpreted as aggression? Any sensible artist would hesitate to take such an approach—after this—for fear of being associated with the anarchist movement.
From today's The Daily Mail (and other news publications) reports:
The director of the Brooklyn Museum and several of its Jewish board members have been targeted in an anti-Semitic attack by pro-Palestine vandals.
Director Anne Pasternak's (Brooklyn Heights co-op apartment) building was sprayed with red paint and a sign calling her a 'white supremacist Zionist' was put up overnight.
The vandals also wrote 'blood on your hands' in red paint on the floor and put a red inverted triangle on the front door - a symbol that's been used by Hamas to identify military targets.
Mayor Eric Adams said on X: 'This is not peaceful protest or free speech. This is a crime, and it's overt, unacceptable antisemitism. These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason.
'I'm sorry to Anne Pasternak and members of @brooklynmuseum's board who woke up to hatred like this. I spoke to Anne this morning and committed that this hate will not stand in our city.'
'The NYPD is investigating and will bring the criminals responsible here to justice.'
Several New York lawmakers have also spoken up about the vandalism against Pasternak and others.
And governor Kathy Hochul said, 'This is an abhorrent act of antisemitism and it has no place in New York or anywhere else.
'We stand with the Jewish community in the face of hate and will continue to fight antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head.'
The Brooklyn Museum said it was: 'deeply troubled by these horrible acts.'
On May 31, pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police.
The art museum said it closed an hour early because of the disruption, including skirmishes between police and protesters that took place inside and outside the building.
Some 34 people were detained at the scene but no charges were filed.
That's for the record. Speaking for myself, I have written before about the misappropriation of iconic art, and institutes of art—public and private—as props for publicity stunts. It is not my intention to minimize the severity of today's incident in New York. The situation has now gone beyond juvenile attention-getting. It must be taken as a warning about a disturbing escalation of the rhetoric -and of the militarization of art. The paint bombing of property—public or private—is not legitimate “free speech.” It is anarchy.