The Burns Halperin Report by Artnet, which claims to reveal an “entrenched system of racism and sexism” in the art world, is the largest market report of its kind. But how accurate is it? The report has been lauded and cited in publications ranging from the New York Times and Artforum to Hyperallergic and MSN for its comprehensive investigation and statistical findings. However, our in-depth analysis of the report, we find several problems that undermine the credibility of its results. These issues range from the misrepresentation of minority artists to confused and false data sets, while pushing an American Nationalist agenda.
“ARTWORLD FACT CHECK: 10 Ways Artnet’s Burns Halperin Report Gets It Wrong,” read here by AJ Goldstone, uncovers ten key shortcomings in the report, demonstrating how its conclusions repeatedly deflate under close examination. Our analysis is a call for a more rigorous, less ideologically distorted understanding of the complex issues surrounding racism and sexism in the art world.
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Correction [May 11, 2023]: The founder of Chrystal Bridges of American Art is Alice, not Anne, Walton.