Is This What MOCA’s Director Meant When He Said That The Fired Head Curator Was ‘Undermining The Museum’?

When director Philippe Vergne sacked chief curator Helen Molesworth last week, he reportedly told a board member that Molesworth had been “undermining the museum”. “One avenue that has gone largely unexamined thus far in the conjecture over Molesworth’s alleged ‘undermining’ are statements that she herself made in public during her time at MOCA. In general, she has been critical of museums and institutions – but, particularly in the past year, she aimed considerable criticism directly at MOCA itself.” So Sarah Douglas does some examining.