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[[File:Max Geller removed from museum.jpg|thumb|Max Geller flipping off a Renoir while being physically removed by museum security]]
[[File:Max Geller removed from museum.jpg|thumb|Max Geller flipping off a Renoir while being physically removed by museum security]]
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{{use mdy dates |date=August 2020}}
'''Max Geller''' is an American [[Performance Artist|performance artist]] and human rights [[Activism|activist]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/renoir-activist-is-pro-palestinian-activist-338467|title=Renoir Hater Is a Pro-Palestinian Activist|date=2015-10-08|website=artnet News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> An outspoken voice on the [[Jewish left]], Geller is an organizer and activist for the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions|BDS movement]] and Palestinian human rights, and a frequent speaker against [[Zionism]].<ref name="The Boston Globe">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/04/07/limits-free-speech/GDNRNljsyfnBUd3zWVNyOL/story.html|title=Northeastern University limits free speech |work=The Boston Globe|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> Despite the disproportionate amount of attention Jews get for speaking out against Israel, Geller has consistently emphasized the need to center Palestinians in the struggle for their own liberation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mondoweiss.net/2016/11/registry-solidarity-symbolic/|title=To resist a 'Muslim registry' we need active solidarity not symbolic gestures|date=2016-11-21|website=Mondoweiss|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref>
'''Max Geller''' is an American [[Performance Artist|performance artist]] and human rights [[Activism|activist]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/renoir-activist-is-pro-palestinian-activist-338467|title=Renoir Hater Is a Pro-Palestinian Activist|date=2015-10-08|website=artnet News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> Part of the [[Jewish left]], Geller is an organizer and activist for Palestinian human rights, including the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]] movement (BDS).<ref name="The Boston Globe">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/04/07/limits-free-speech/GDNRNljsyfnBUd3zWVNyOL/story.html|title=Northeastern University limits free speech |work=The Boston Globe|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref>


Geller’s activism often employs non-traditional tactics, drawing on performance art, erudite references and irony to provoke social discomfort without expressing an explicit political agenda.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2015/11/09/god_hates_renoir_he_sucks_at_painting_and_this_is_why_you_should_care/ |title="God hates Renoir": He sucks at painting, and this is why you should care |work=[[Salon.com]] |date=November 10, 2015 |access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref> His performance art, on the other hand, frequently relies on methods of activism, blurring any distinction between art and politics.<ref name=":1" />
Geller’s activism often employs non-traditional tactics, drawing on performance art, erudite references and irony to provoke social discomfort without expressing an explicit political agenda.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2015/11/09/god_hates_renoir_he_sucks_at_painting_and_this_is_why_you_should_care/ |title="God hates Renoir": He sucks at painting, and this is why you should care |work=[[Salon.com]] |date=November 10, 2015 |access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref> His performance art, on the other hand, frequently relies on methods of activism, blurring the lines between art and politics.<ref name=":1" />


Most famously, Geller is the founder of #renoirsucksatpainting, a tongue-in-cheek social movement to remove the paintings of Auguste [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir]] from museums around the world.<ref name="hyperallergic.com">{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/246297/protesters-demand-metropolitan-museum-remove-19-renoir-paintings/|title=Protesters Demand Metropolitan Museum Remove 19 Renoir Paintings|date=2015-10-19|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> He has frequently leveraged the ''Renoir Sucks at Painting'' project into media coverage for the BDS movement and other social causes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forward.com/news/324208/according-to-max-geller-renoir-sucks-and-so-does-israel/|title=When Anti-Israel Activist Blasts Renoir, Media Sits Up and Takes Notice|last1=Nathan-KazisNovember 7|first1=Josh|last2=Geller|first2=2015Courtesy of Max|website=The Forward|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref>
Most famously, Geller is the founder of #renoirsucksatpainting, a tongue-in-cheek social movement to remove the paintings of Auguste [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir]] from museums around the world.<ref name="hyperallergic.com">{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/246297/protesters-demand-metropolitan-museum-remove-19-renoir-paintings/|title=Protesters Demand Metropolitan Museum Remove 19 Renoir Paintings|date=2015-10-19|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> He has frequently leveraged the ''Renoir Sucks at Painting'' project into media coverage for the BDS movement and other social causes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forward.com/news/324208/according-to-max-geller-renoir-sucks-and-so-does-israel/|title=When Anti-Israel Activist Blasts Renoir, Media Sits Up and Takes Notice|last1=Nathan-KazisNovember 7|first1=Josh|last2=Geller|first2=2015Courtesy of Max|website=The Forward|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref>


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
At sixteen, Geller was arrested for [[Flag burning|burning an American Flag]] on the [[Independence Day (United States)|4th of July]] and draping the charred remains over the liberty bell at town hall in his hometown of Brookline, Massachusetts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-3-episode-6/id1436906419?i=1000459621958|title=Phone Wallet Keys David Ortiz: Season 3 Episode 6 on Apple Podcasts|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> For his senior capstone project at his small arts high school, Geller learned [[Aikido]], and demonstrated his mastery by fighting his mother.<ref name=":0" />
While in college, Geller and a friend conned their way into an appearance on the television arbitration show ''[[Judge Mathis]]'', which aired in 2005.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/renoir-sucks-duel_n_5616b7aee4b0e66ad4c6e9b4|title=Leader Of 'Renoir Sucks' Movement Challenges Critic To A Duel To The Death|last=Shapiro|first=Lila|date=2015-10-08|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> Geller wrote a script for their disagreement, which the show presented at face value.

In college, Geller conned his way into an appearance on the daytime television show Judge Mathis.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/renoir-sucks-duel_n_5616b7aee4b0e66ad4c6e9b4|title=Leader Of 'Renoir Sucks' Movement Challenges Critic To A Duel To The Death|last=Shapiro|first=Lila|date=2015-10-08|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> The performance put on by Geller’s troupe, filled with outrageous claims, false hysterics, and demands for justice, mocks both reality television and the criminal justice system.<ref>{{Citation|title=Mathis Part 1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoCzXbsg3Ak|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref>

In 2005, George Edward Jed Smock, Jr. AKA “[[Brother Jed]],” came to protest liberal values at the [[Colorado College]] campus. Geller showed up dressed in [[Klansman]] robes and joined Brother Jed’s rally, thus aligning Jed’s crusade with the overt white supremacy associated with the KKK.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-three-premiere/id1436906419?i=1000448925507|title=Phone Wallet Keys David Ortiz: Season Three Premiere! on Apple Podcasts|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> Later Geller distanced himself from the early performance due to its racial insensitivity.<ref name=":2" />


== Anti-Zionist activism ==
== Anti-Zionist activism ==
In 2007, while traveling the world, Geller arrived in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], where the struggle of the Palestinians for their own liberation, and Israel’s violent response, left an indelible mark on him. He returned to Palestine several times over the course of the next few years, and later continued his activism back in the USA, where he has been an active member of many groups organizing on behalf of Palestinian liberation, such as NSJP, [[International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network|IJAN]], USCPR, and others, and has been a frequent contributor to a variety of conferences and journals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canarymission.org/individual/Max_Geller|website=canarymission.org|access-date=2019-12-28|title=Canary Mission}}</ref>
Geller is an active member of many groups organizing on behalf of Palestinian liberation, such as [[Students for Justice in Palestine]] (SJP), [[International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network]] (IJAN), and [[Jewish Voice for Peace]] (JVP), and has been a frequent contributor to a variety of conferences and journals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canarymission.org/individual/Max_Geller|website=canarymission.org|access-date=2019-12-28|title=Canary Mission}}</ref>[[File:Palestinian_flag_on_Temple_of_Giza.jpg|thumb|A Palestinian flag presented on the Temple of Giza, a 2009 stunt which Geller claims to have been a part of.]]

=== Palestinian flag on the Great Pyramid of Giza ===
In 2009, Geller joined a group of international Palestinian activists who were attempting to break the [[blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockade of Gaza]]. After being turned away at the border, Geller and his cohort scaled the walls of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza|Pyramid of Giza]] and flew an enormous [[Flag of Palestine|Palestinian flag]] from halfway up.<ref name=":0" /> The image became an iconic representation of the attempts to break the blockade and was featured in newspapers throughout the Arab world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ammonnews.net/index.php?page=article&id=51821|title=نشطاء فرنسيون يرفعون علم فلسطين على هرم منقرع|website=وكالة عمون الاخبارية|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref>
[[File:Palestinian_flag_on_Temple_of_Giza.jpg|thumb|Palestinian Flag on the Temple of Giza]]


=== Students for Justice in Palestine ===
=== Students for Justice in Palestine ===
While Geller was a student at [[Northeastern University|North Eastern Law School]], he became president of the local chapter of [[Students for Justice in Palestine]], where he staged a series of interventions to bring awareness to the cause.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.wgbh.org/on-campus/2013/9/5/free-speech-debate-rekindled-northeastern/|title=Free Speech Debate Rekindled At Northeastern|website=On Campus {{!}} WGBH.org Blogs|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> These culminated in the group delivering mock eviction letters to students that resulted in SJP being suspended by the administration.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://huntnewsnu.com/32073/campus/mock-eviction-notices-lead-to-suspension-of-nus-students-for-justice-in-palestine/|title=Mock eviction notices lead to suspension of NU's Students for Justice in Palestine|date=2014-03-14|website=The Huntington News|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> Geller immediately took the case to the national media gaining widespread attention for the incident, defending the incident in an op-ed in the Boston Globe<ref name="The Boston Globe"/> and an appearance on Democracy Now.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/13/a_war_on_campus_northeastern_university|title=A War on Campus? Northeastern University Suspends Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter|website=Democracy Now!|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref>
While Geller was a student at [[Northeastern University|North Eastern Law School]], he was president of the local chapter of [[Students for Justice in Palestine]] (SJP). In 2013, the group staged a walkout of a presentation by Israeli soldiers, and the school put them on administrative probation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.wgbh.org/on-campus/2013/9/5/free-speech-debate-rekindled-northeastern/|title=Free Speech Debate Rekindled At Northeastern|website=On Campus {{!}} WGBH.org Blogs|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> SJP then delivered mock eviction letters to students, which resulted in the group's suspension.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://huntnewsnu.com/32073/campus/mock-eviction-notices-lead-to-suspension-of-nus-students-for-justice-in-palestine/|title=Mock eviction notices lead to suspension of NU's Students for Justice in Palestine|date=2014-03-14|website=The Huntington News|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> Geller defended the incident in an op-ed in the Boston Globe<ref name="The Boston Globe"/> and an appearance on [[Democracy Now!|''Democracy Now!'']].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/13/a_war_on_campus_northeastern_university|title=A War on Campus? Northeastern University Suspends Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter|website=Democracy Now!|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref>


=== New Orleans City Council BDS bill ===
=== New Orleans City Council BDS bill ===
In 2017, Geller was instrumental in the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee's successful lobbying of the City Council to pass a [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions|Boycott Divestment and Sanctions]] bill in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/01/11/new-orleans-bds-movement-israel/|title=New Orleans City Council Passes Measure Pushed By BDS Activists|last=Chávez|first=Aída|date=2018-01-11|website=The Intercept|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> Because the legislation didn’t explicitly name Israel, opting instead to target “human-rights violators”, Zionist groups claimed that the NOPSC had tricked the city council into passing the resolution<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/254186/how-new-orleans-almost-got-duped-into-endorsing-bds|title=How New Orleans Almost Got Duped Into Endorsing BDS|date=2018-01-26|website=Tablet Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> and after fierce counter-lobbying from powerful pro-Israel forces, the city council rescinded the resolution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/01/26/new-orleans-city-council-resolution-bds/|title=New Orleans City Council Caves to Pressure From Jewish Groups, Rescinds Human Rights Resolution|last=Chávez|first=Aída|date=2018-01-26|website=The Intercept|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref>
In 2017, Geller was involved with the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee (NOPSC), which lobbied the [[New Orleans City Council]] to pass a [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions|Boycott Divestment and Sanctions]] bill, in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/01/11/new-orleans-bds-movement-israel/|title=New Orleans City Council Passes Measure Pushed By BDS Activists|last=Chávez|first=Aída|date=2018-01-11|website=The Intercept|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> The bill passed, but was met with backlash from Zionist groups. The wording of the bill hadn’t explicitly named Israel, opting instead to target “human-rights violators,” but was nonetheless subjected to counter-lobbying by Zionist groups, who claimed the city council had been tricked by NOPSC. Shortly after passing the bill, the city council rescinded it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/01/26/new-orleans-city-council-resolution-bds/|title=New Orleans City Council Caves to Pressure From Jewish Groups, Rescinds Human Rights Resolution|last=Chávez|first=Aída|date=2018-01-26|website=The Intercept|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref>

== Activism as performance art ==
In addition to Geller’s history as a political provocateur, he has also used his knack for creating viral ideas and images to mount ambiguous, seemingly frivolous interventions in the art and music world. Often, Geller uses these absurdist actions to build a platform to raise other, more serious cultural and political issues.<ref name=":3" /> The most famous example is #Renoirsucksatpainting.

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=== Renoir Sucks at Painting ===
In February 2015 Geller created the instagram @Renoir_sucks_at_painting, and began posting images of [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir]] paintings and captioning them with a combination of sardonic wit and vitriol.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/renoir_sucks_at_painting/|title=Renoir Sucks At Painting (@renoir_sucks_at_painting) • Instagram photos and videos|website=www.instagram.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> Soon after, the account began to go viral, attracting the attention of reddit streams, content aggregators, art critics, and Renoir’s own descendants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtHistory/comments/3nufq5/renoir_sucks_at_painting_movement_demands_removal/|title=r/ArtHistory - 'Renoir sucks at painting' movement demands removal of artist's works|website=reddit|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> At the same time, Geller began to use the platform to make larger political critiques.

When [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir's]] great-great-granddaughter responded to an instagram post in May of 2015 saying "when your great-great-grandfather paints anything worth 78.1 million dollars...then you can criticize. In the mean time[sic], it is safe to say that the free market has spoken and Renoir did NOT suck at painting." Geller reposted the comment and replied, "The free market has indeed spoken. Climate change; the [[Prison–industrial complex|Prison Industrial Complex]]; [[Slavery]]; [[Settler colonialism|Settler Colonialism]]; the destruction of [[sea otter]] habitats; the evisceration of the [[proletariat]]; [[Television advertisement|commercials]] on TV; [[Food desert|Food Deserts]]; [[Citizens United v. FEC|Citizens United]]; [[National Treasure: Book of Secrets|National Treasure 2:]] Book of Secrets (457 Million Box Office!); for-profit healthcare; and, yes, the exaltation of your great grand pappy, Baron Von Treacle himself, #Renoir--have all been unleashed upon us by the [[free market]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/renoir-debate-descendant-strikes-back-instagram-338145|title=Renoir Heir Strikes Back at Haters|date=2015-10-06|website=artnet News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> Through this exchange, the account began to gain significant media attention.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/renoir-sucks-duel_n_5616b7aee4b0e66ad4c6e9b4|title=Leader of 'Renoir Sucks' Movement Challenges Critic to a Duel to the Death|date=October 8, 2015}}</ref>


⚫
== Renoir Sucks at Painting ==
On October 5, 2015, at the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|Museum of Fine Arts Boston]], Geller organized the first of what would become many major anti-Renoir protests.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/oct/06/renoir-sucks-at-painting-protest-boston-max-geller|title='Renoir sucks at painting' movement demands removal of artist's works|last=Gajanan|first=Mahita|date=2015-10-06|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-25|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> When the protest garnered criticism in the Boston Globe by [[Sebastian Smee]], a Pulitzer prize-winning art critic, Geller responded by publicly challenging Smee to a duel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/more-and-more-people-loathe-renoir-is-it-time-for-a-revival/2019/06/24/b0b3c5d8-8ded-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html|title=Review {{!}} More and more people loathe Renoir. Is it time for a revival? |first=Sebastian |last=Smee |newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> The feud quickly gained national attention, and along with a second protest at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|Metropolitan Museum of New York]] a week later, helped skyrocket the movement to headlines across the globe.<ref name="hyperallergic.com"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/m-actu/article/2015/10/16/un-americain-veut-chasser-renoir-des-musees_4791157_4497186.html|title=Un Américain veut chasser Renoir des musées|date=2015-10-16|access-date=2019-12-25|language=fr}}</ref>
In February 2015, Geller created the [[Instagram]] account @Renoir_sucks_at_painting, and began posting images of paintings by [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]], with captions criticizing both Renoir and the institutions that hang his art.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/renoir_sucks_at_painting/|title=Renoir Sucks At Painting (@renoir_sucks_at_painting) • Instagram photos and videos|website=www.instagram.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref>


In May 2015, [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir's]] great-great-granddaughter responded to one of the Instagram posts, entering into an argument with Geller, garnering some media attention.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/renoir-debate-descendant-strikes-back-instagram-338145|title=Renoir Heir Strikes Back at Haters|date=2015-10-06|website=artnet News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/renoir-sucks-duel_n_5616b7aee4b0e66ad4c6e9b4|title=Leader of 'Renoir Sucks' Movement Challenges Critic to a Duel to the Death|date=October 8, 2015}}</ref>
⚫
Geller continued traveling the country organizing anti-Renoir protests at art museums in major cities around the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://depauliaonline.com/18858/focus/renoir-sucks-at-painting-fine-art/|title='Renoir Sucks' movement questions deeper meaning in fine art|last=Buchel|first=Madeline|date=2016-01-19|website=The DePaulia|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> After a protest at the [[Art Institute of Chicago]], Geller was a guest on a local news station there, where he once again expanded the focus of his movement from Renoir's paintings themselves to the [[misogyny]] and [[white supremacy]] of the canon at large. "At the end of the day," he said, "it’s about access, who has access to our museums... I think the art institute should sell some of these Renoirs...and instead buy some art that is painted by women or people of color."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wgntv.com/2015/10/26/the-guy-who-hates-renoir-comes-to-chicago/|title=The guy who hates Renoir comes to Chicago|date=2015-10-26|website=WGN-TV|language=en|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref>


Many in the media began to realize the Renoir Sucks movement was part of the growing ouvre of protests and performance art from Geller.<ref name=":1" /> While the movement reached its apex in the fall of 2015, it has continued to spawn mini-protests all over the world, including at the White House where President [[Donald Trump|Trump]] is an admirer of Renoir.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Bar1l4xBtQC/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/Bar1l4xBtQC |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=Renoir Sucks At Painting on Instagram: "We tried to warn y'all. #renoirsucksatpainting #trumplovesrenoir"|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=2019-12-28}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Art critics are still grappling with the after-effects of the movement as recently as June 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/more-and-more-people-loathe-renoir-is-it-time-for-a-revival/2019/06/24/b0b3c5d8-8ded-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html|title=Review {{!}} More and more people loathe Renoir. Is it time for a revival? |first=Sebastian |last=Smee|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref>
On October 5, 2015, Geller organized an anti-Renoir protest outside the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|Museum of Fine Arts Boston]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/oct/06/renoir-sucks-at-painting-protest-boston-max-geller|title='Renoir sucks at painting' movement demands removal of artist's works|last=Gajanan|first=Mahita|date=2015-10-06|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-25|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The protest garnered criticism in the Boston Globe by [[Sebastian Smee]], a Pulitzer prize-winning art critic, and Geller responded by publicly challenging Smee to a duel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/more-and-more-people-loathe-renoir-is-it-time-for-a-revival/2019/06/24/b0b3c5d8-8ded-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html|title=Review {{!}} More and more people loathe Renoir. Is it time for a revival? |first=Sebastian |last=Smee |newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2019-12-25}}</ref> The feud gained media attention, especially after a second protest outside the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|Metropolitan Museum of New York]].<ref name="hyperallergic.com" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/m-actu/article/2015/10/16/un-americain-veut-chasser-renoir-des-musees_4791157_4497186.html|title=Un Américain veut chasser Renoir des musées|date=2015-10-16|access-date=2019-12-25|language=fr}}</ref>
=== Other performance art ===
While ''Renoir Sucks at Painting'' is Geller's most well known aesthetic protest, there were any smaller ones that preceded it.


⚫
Geller continued to organize anti-Renoir protests at art museums in major cities around the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://depauliaonline.com/18858/focus/renoir-sucks-at-painting-fine-art/|title='Renoir Sucks' movement questions deeper meaning in fine art|last=Buchel|first=Madeline|date=2016-01-19|website=The DePaulia|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> After a protest at the [[Art Institute of Chicago]], Geller was a guest on a local news station, where he expanded the focus of his movement from Renoir's paintings themselves to the [[misogyny]] and [[white supremacy]] of the canon at large. "At the end of the day," he said, "it’s about access, who has access to our museums... I think the Art Institute should sell some of these Renoirs...and instead buy some art that is painted by women or people of color."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wgntv.com/2015/10/26/the-guy-who-hates-renoir-comes-to-chicago/|title=The guy who hates Renoir comes to Chicago|date=2015-10-26|website=WGN-TV|language=en|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref>
* In the mid 2000s, Geller organized a protest at the [[Phish]] concert at [[Fenway Park]], a series of protests at [[Matisyahu]] concerts, and attempted to sell radically anti-[[Creed (band)|Creed]] merchandise outside of Creed concerts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-3-episode-5/id1436906419?i=1000457162449|title=Phone Wallet Keys David Ortiz: Season 3 Episode 5 on Apple Podcasts|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref>
* More recently Geller has resurfaced in the news for his satirical [[Venmo]] requests of celebrities, politicians, and public intellectuals including [[Ben Affleck]], [[Jonathan Franzen]], [[Sean Spicer]], and more.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/07/venmo-transaction-humor-scrolling-through-the-emojis-and-jokes-of-the-payment-platform.html|title=In Praise of Venmo Humor, From Elaborate Emoji Jokes to Randomly Charging Ben Affleck Small Sums of Money|last=Hampton|first=Rachelle|date=2018-07-23|website=Slate Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref>
*Geller has starred as cohost of a leftist Boston sports podcast with his brother called [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/phone-wallet-keys-david-ortiz/id1436906419 Phone Wallet Keys David Ortiz].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/phone-wallet-keys-david-ortiz/id1436906419|title=Phone Wallet Keys David Ortiz on Apple Podcasts|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 20:17, 8 March 2023

Max Geller flipping off a Renoir while being physically removed by museum security

Max Geller is an American performance artist and human rights activist.[1] Part of the Jewish left, Geller is an organizer and activist for Palestinian human rights, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS).[2]

Geller’s activism often employs non-traditional tactics, drawing on performance art, erudite references and irony to provoke social discomfort without expressing an explicit political agenda.[3] His performance art, on the other hand, frequently relies on methods of activism, blurring the lines between art and politics.[1]

Most famously, Geller is the founder of #renoirsucksatpainting, a tongue-in-cheek social movement to remove the paintings of Auguste Renoir from museums around the world.[4] He has frequently leveraged the Renoir Sucks at Painting project into media coverage for the BDS movement and other social causes.[5]

Early life

While in college, Geller and a friend conned their way into an appearance on the television arbitration show Judge Mathis, which aired in 2005.[6] Geller wrote a script for their disagreement, which the show presented at face value.

Anti-Zionist activism

Geller is an active member of many groups organizing on behalf of Palestinian liberation, such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and has been a frequent contributor to a variety of conferences and journals.[7]

A Palestinian flag presented on the Temple of Giza, a 2009 stunt which Geller claims to have been a part of.

Students for Justice in Palestine

While Geller was a student at North Eastern Law School, he was president of the local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). In 2013, the group staged a walkout of a presentation by Israeli soldiers, and the school put them on administrative probation.[8] SJP then delivered mock eviction letters to students, which resulted in the group's suspension.[9] Geller defended the incident in an op-ed in the Boston Globe[2] and an appearance on Democracy Now!.[10]

New Orleans City Council BDS bill

In 2017, Geller was involved with the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee (NOPSC), which lobbied the New Orleans City Council to pass a Boycott Divestment and Sanctions bill, in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.[11] The bill passed, but was met with backlash from Zionist groups. The wording of the bill hadn’t explicitly named Israel, opting instead to target “human-rights violators,” but was nonetheless subjected to counter-lobbying by Zionist groups, who claimed the city council had been tricked by NOPSC. Shortly after passing the bill, the city council rescinded it.[12]

Renoir Sucks at Painting

In February 2015, Geller created the Instagram account @Renoir_sucks_at_painting, and began posting images of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, with captions criticizing both Renoir and the institutions that hang his art.[13]

In May 2015, Renoir's great-great-granddaughter responded to one of the Instagram posts, entering into an argument with Geller, garnering some media attention.[14] [15]

On October 5, 2015, Geller organized an anti-Renoir protest outside the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.[16] The protest garnered criticism in the Boston Globe by Sebastian Smee, a Pulitzer prize-winning art critic, and Geller responded by publicly challenging Smee to a duel.[17] The feud gained media attention, especially after a second protest outside the Metropolitan Museum of New York.[4][18]

Geller continued to organize anti-Renoir protests at art museums in major cities around the country.[19] After a protest at the Art Institute of Chicago, Geller was a guest on a local news station, where he expanded the focus of his movement from Renoir's paintings themselves to the misogyny and white supremacy of the canon at large. "At the end of the day," he said, "it’s about access, who has access to our museums... I think the Art Institute should sell some of these Renoirs...and instead buy some art that is painted by women or people of color."[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "Renoir Hater Is a Pro-Palestinian Activist". artnet News. October 8, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Northeastern University limits free speech". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  3. ^ ""God hates Renoir": He sucks at painting, and this is why you should care". Salon.com. November 10, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Protesters Demand Metropolitan Museum Remove 19 Renoir Paintings". Hyperallergic. October 19, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  5. ^ Nathan-KazisNovember 7, Josh; Geller, 2015Courtesy of Max. "When Anti-Israel Activist Blasts Renoir, Media Sits Up and Takes Notice". The Forward. Retrieved January 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Shapiro, Lila (October 8, 2015). "Leader Of 'Renoir Sucks' Movement Challenges Critic To A Duel To The Death". HuffPost. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  7. ^ "Canary Mission". canarymission.org. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  8. ^ "Free Speech Debate Rekindled At Northeastern". On Campus | WGBH.org Blogs. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "Mock eviction notices lead to suspension of NU's Students for Justice in Palestine". The Huntington News. March 14, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "A War on Campus? Northeastern University Suspends Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter". Democracy Now!. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Chávez, Aída (January 11, 2018). "New Orleans City Council Passes Measure Pushed By BDS Activists". The Intercept. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  12. ^ Chávez, Aída (January 26, 2018). "New Orleans City Council Caves to Pressure From Jewish Groups, Rescinds Human Rights Resolution". The Intercept. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  13. ^ "Renoir Sucks At Painting (@renoir_sucks_at_painting) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  14. ^ "Renoir Heir Strikes Back at Haters". artnet News. October 6, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  15. ^ "Leader of 'Renoir Sucks' Movement Challenges Critic to a Duel to the Death". October 8, 2015.
  16. ^ Gajanan, Mahita (October 6, 2015). "'Renoir sucks at painting' movement demands removal of artist's works". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  17. ^ Smee, Sebastian. "Review | More and more people loathe Renoir. Is it time for a revival?". Washington Post. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  18. ^ "Un Américain veut chasser Renoir des musées" (in French). October 16, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Buchel, Madeline (January 19, 2016). "'Renoir Sucks' movement questions deeper meaning in fine art". The DePaulia. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  20. ^ "The guy who hates Renoir comes to Chicago". WGN-TV. October 26, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
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