Los Angeles (AFP)

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco removed the bust of former president of the International Olympic Committee Avery Brundage, who was its biggest patron, but also "espoused racist and anti-Semitic opinions", justified its director.

"Avery Brundage, whose collection forms the core of this institution, has adopted racist and anti-Semitic views," wrote Jay Xu in an open letter posted a few days ago on the museum's website.

"We have removed his name from the museum's initiatives, but we have not yet approached our history in a completely open and transparent manner. It is only by publicly condemning Brundage's racism (...) that we can become an even greater source of healing and connection "with the world," he added.

More than 8,000 works exhibited at the museum come from the heritage of Brundage, who died in 1975 at the age of 87. For 48 years, visitors passed by the bust of this former American industrialist, who was also the patron of the IOC between 1952 and 1972.

During his tenure, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos were excluded from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for their fists raised on the podium in support of Black Power.

At the 1972 Munich Games, he refused to cancel the remaining events after the terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes.

A fervent opponent of the entry of the United States into World War II, he had pushed for his country not to boycott the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany.

"Each institution must make a decision it deems appropriate," simply commented the IOC on the withdrawal of the bust of Brundage.

A decision that the Museum of Asian Art made in a burning context of protests, in the United States and in the world, against social injustices after the tragic death of George Floyd, a month ago in Minneapolis.

"With more urgency than ever, we must engage as partners and allies to achieve racial justice," said Jay Xu. "Let's start with ourselves. If we are proud to be the custodians of a collection of historic art, we have to deal with the very history of the creation of our museum."

© 2020 AFP