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A spur-of-the-moment decision by academic staff to take down a 1970s painting depicting male Leiden University board members smoking cigars has sparked a debate in the Netherlands over cancel culture.
The artwork on the wall of a university meeting room had been a topic of discussion for years, with some students claiming that it both endorsed patriarchy and the act of smoking.
In what was described as a “tongue in cheek action”, the painting was taken off the wall and turned round during a meeting last month.
“Done!” tweeted Koen Caminada, a professor of tax and social policy.
The move, however, led to a furore, with one former government minister and former Leiden University lecturer, Uri Rosenthal describing it as a “shame” and an example of “stupidity” by “so-called intellectual professors”.
Others piled in, with Rob de Wijk, a professor of international relations, saying its removal was an attempt to “rewrite history”, while the painter himself, Rein Dool, 90, called the action “stupid and sad”.
A debate heard the world over between those who want to remove art and culture of the past that could be offensive today and those who believe that this would amount to trying to erase history is strong in the Netherlands, where the country’s colonial past looms large as an issue of division.
