The Jewish Museum in New York has ended its working relationship with curator Jens Hoffmann after a review of sexual harassment allegations that had been brought to the museum’s attention at the end of November. A statement issued by the institution on Monday reads, in full: “The Jewish Museum has completed its review of the allegations regarding Jens Hoffmann and on December 17, 2017, terminated its relationship with him. As this is an internal and confidential matter, we will not be sharing further details.”
The news marks the end of a two-week review first made public on December 4, days after the museum said an unspecified number of staffers had come forward about allegations related to Hoffmann’s tenure there. He had served as the Jewish Museum’s deputy director for exhibitions and programs from 2012 to 2016 and, before his recent suspension, took the title of director of special exhibitions and public programs.
Through his lawyer, Hoffmann denied the charges when they first came to light. “He can firmly say he has never subjected anyone at the museum to sexual harassment,” Lance Gotko, a lawyer representing Hoffmann, said at the time.
Several other institutions affiliated with Hoffmann subsequently announced suspensions pending the results of the Jewish Museum’s review, among them the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary of Art, Kadist, Fundación Arte, and Mousse Magazine. The Honolulu Biennial cut ties completely after the first report of the allegations, and days later, three editors resigned from The Exhibitionist, a journal about curatorial practices that Hoffmann founded in 2009.