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Artwashing describes the use of art and artists in a positive way to distract from or legitimize negative actions by an individual, organization, country, or government—especially in reference to gentrification.

Etymology

With a structure similar to terms such as greenwashing, pinkwashing, and purplewashing, it is a portmanteau of the words "art" and "whitewashing". The term was coined in the 2017 protests against gentrification in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

References

1. O'Sullivan, Ferguson (June 24, 2014). "The Pernicious Realities of 'Artwashing'". Bloomberg.
2. "From the MoMA expansion to 'artwashing' ill-gotten wealth: the major museum moments of 2019". www.theartnewspaper.com. December 12, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
3. Dalley, Jan (August 17, 2018). "Why artwashing is a dirty word". www.ft.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
4. "Art & Gentrification: What is "Artwashing" and What Are Galleries Doing to Resist It?". Artspace. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
5. "Artwashing: the new watchword for anti-gentrification protesters". the Guardian. July 18, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
6. "Gentrification-What Do We Know?". Amplify Arts. Retrieved June 13, 2021.

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