The Smithsonian Will Keep Cosby Art Collection — But with One Caveat

After documents came out last week showing testimony from Bill Cosby admitting to obtaining Quaaludes to give to women he wanted to have sex with, plenty of skeptical people considered that the final straw. There’s been lots of outcry directed at groups connected to Cosby, and now the Smithsonian is involved.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art features artworks from Cosby’s own collection. Last week, the museum released a statement saying they’re not taking the art down because the collection “is fundamentally about the artworks and the artists who created them, not the owners of the collections.”

Well, they’re still sticking by that, but with one caveat.

A Smithsonian spokesperson said today that they would be adding a sign to the exhibition making it clear that they still believe in the value of showing the work, but absolutely don’t condone Cosby’s behavior.

And Cosby’s back in the news in a big way today thanks to comments by President Obama, in which the president said, “If you give a woman or a man, for that matter, without his or her knowledge, a drug, and then have sex with that person without consent, that’s rape.”

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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