Candida Gertler, who co-founded the Outset Contemporary Art Fund in June 2003, has resigned from the organisation’s board of trustees. In a statement, the Outset UK Board of Trustees said, “We are deeply saddened to announce that Candida Gertler has resigned from Outset Contemporary Art Fund with immediate effect.”
Since co-founding the charity in 2003, Candida’s visionary approach to arts philanthropy has transformed the landscape of the art world. Initiatives such as the Outset Frieze Tate Fund, the TenTen Award, the National Portrait Gallery Commission, the Biennial Fund, Studiomakers and Outset Partners radically rethought the relationships between public and private for the good of hundreds of institutions and curators, thousands of artists and millions of people who engaged with the work supported.
We have every belief that Outset will honour and uphold this extraordinary mandate. Outset will continue to award funding in support of outstanding contemporary art that engages the widest possible audiences. We will always champion open dialogue between artists, institutions and funders.
The charity will remain governed by a board of Trustees and a Director. For more information about the governance and structure of Outset, please visit outset.org.uk.
Statement from Candida Gertler OBE:
To the Arts Community in the UK
It is with profound reflection and a heavy heart that I announce my resignation from all voluntary positions within UK arts institutions. This decision comes not out of fear, weakness, or defeat, but as an act of principled protest against the alarming rise of antisemitism and the tacit normalisation of hate within physical and online spaces meant to foster creativity and inclusion.
As someone who has dedicated much of my life to supporting contemporary art, championing dialogue, and creating platforms for diverse voices, I can no longer stand silent when institutions, intimidated by violent and aggressive activism that dismisses dialogue or any kind of communication fail to uphold the foundational values of equality and respect. Recent revelations of vile antisemitic sentiments in these spaces have shocked and appalled me. These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader culture that seeks to marginalise and dehumanise Jews.
This moment compels me to reflect on the fate of countless citizens in the 1930s who were deeply involved in the cultural fabric of European cities, only to face a wave of racism, prejudice, libel, and the inaction of their peers. These individuals—artists, intellectuals, patrons, and leaders—contributed immeasurably to the vibrancy of their communities yet found themselves abandoned in their hour of need. I stand in the shadow of their esteemed footprints, drawing strength from their resilience and courage. My actions today are both a tribute to their legacy and a refusal to repeat the failures of history.
The failure to confront such hate compromises the very essence of what art stands for—a medium for empathy, exploration, and shared humanity. When art institutions allow prejudice to take root, they betray not only the marginalized communities they exclude but also the artists, supporters, and audiences who trust their integrity.
My decision to step away from these roles is an effort to spotlight this urgent issue. I cannot, in good conscience, lend my name or efforts to a sector that does not take a resolute stand against hatred and the silencing of a plurality of views. While hate-filled, often libelous content was published and negotiated in their field of responsibility none of the respective institutions had the courtesy or courage to contact me so that my first source of information were an unreliable press and social media. It was me who had to reach out and ask for more precise information. To remain silent or complicit in such a climate would undermine everything I have worked to achieve.
This is not an abdication of my commitment to art or to cultural support. On the contrary, I intend to dedicate myself to combating antisemitism and all forms of bigotry with renewed vigour. I call on my peers, collaborators, and allies in the artworld to join me in holding our institutions accountable, creating physical and virtual spaces that genuinely uphold diversity, and ensuring that the principles of justice and inclusion are not mere rhetoric but lived realities.
I remain hopeful that together we can confront this darkness and rebuild a cultural landscape where all identities are respected and celebrated. Until that day, I will continue to fight—not from within these structures, but alongside those who demand better.
Thank you for your understanding. This is not a goodbye to art but a reimagining of how it can be a force for true societal change. To those who regard this as a victory I urge you to ask yourselves what this actually has achieved for the people you wish to help.
Yours sincerely,
Candida Gertler OBE
Founder, Outset Contemporary Art Fund