Following weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at the Brooklyn Museum, authorities are currently investigating a series of antisemitic vandalism incidents targeting the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s Jewish director and several board members. Photos depicting red paint-smeared doors and intimidating messages appeared on Wednesday.
The attack was condemned on the social media platform X by museum authorities, “The cowards who did this are way over the line into antisemitism, harming the cause they claim to care about, and making everyone less safe.” Responsibility for the vandalism remains unclear at this time.
One of the images posted shows a banner hanging outside the defaced home of Brooklyn Museum Director Anne Pasternak, located in Brooklyn Heights. According to the building’s superintendent, surveillance footage captured five masked individuals, dressed entirely in black, spraying the courtyard with red paint and hoisting a banner with the director’s name accompanied by an antisemitic message that accused her of being a “white-supremacist Zionist.”. The ground nearby was marked with stencil graffiti reading “Blood on Your Hands.”
Another Brooklyn Museum executive’s family home was vandalised approximately a mile away. The city has confirmed that it investigates multiple incidents where red paint has been thrown or spray-painted onto residences. The incidents have occurred in various boroughs, indicating no specific geographical pattern. The investigation is ongoing.
Anne Pasternak: A Champion Of Art and Social Justice at the Brooklyn Museum
No public information is readily available that definitively states Anne Pasternak’s stance on Zionism. Anne Pasternak is primarily known for her extensive work in the arts, particularly in her roles as the director of the Brooklyn Museum and previously as the director of Creative Time. Her professional focus has been on art, culture, social justice, and community engagement rather than political movements or ideologies.
Since 2015, Anne Pasternak served as the Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum, one of America’s oldest and most significant fine arts institutions. With a career spanning over three decades, Pasternak has dedicated herself to showcasing art’s immense power to inspire, motivate, and engage diverse audiences. She fervently supports the civic and democratic functions of cultural and educational institutions, passionately advocating for projects that highlight the vital connections between art and social justice.
Under her leadership, the Brooklyn Museum has flourished as a bold, innovative, and inspirational hub for visual arts. Pasternak has demonstrated remarkable creativity and strategic acumen in reimagining the Museum’s historical collections by integrating contemporary ideas and practices. Her initiatives include transforming the permanent collection and gallery spaces into more interactive and dynamic experiences. Additionally, Pasternak has significantly expanded the Museum’s educational and public programming and curated groundbreaking special exhibitions such as “The Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America” and “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85.” These efforts are critical components of the Brooklyn Museum’s new Strategic Plan, designed to enhance the Museum’s mission of fostering inspiring art encounters and engaging the community with current social issues.
Before her role at the Brooklyn Museum, Anne Pasternak was the director of Creative Time, an organisation renowned for its commitment to empowering artists to address political and environmental issues while expanding their global reach. During her tenure, Pasternak was pivotal in fostering collaborations between Creative Time and numerous esteemed artists, including Nick Cave, Paul Chan, Jenny Holzer, and Kara Walker. Her innovative projects, from sculptural installations in Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall to skywriting over Manhattan and the iconic “Tribute in Light,” have left an indelible mark on the art world, reflecting her unwavering support for artistic freedom and expression.
Anne Pasternak’s tenure at Creative Time and the Brooklyn Museum is a testament to her unwavering commitment to using art for social change and community engagement. Her visionary leadership has shaped the Brooklyn Museum’s future and solidified its position as a vital and dynamic institution in the world of fine arts. Her influence is felt in every corner of the Museum, from the innovative curation to the engaging public programming, making it a beacon of inspiration and social awareness.