Artist and activist Nan Goldin was among the victims of the nationwide opioid epidemic who testified in a landmark hearing convened by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform last Thursday, December 17. The virtual hearing was the first time members of the Sackler family publicly addressed accusations that they played a role in fueling the crisis, which has killed more than 400,000 Americans, by benefiting financially from sales of the addictive drug Oxycontin manufactured by Purdue Pharma.
“Oxycontin damaged me emotionally, physically, and financially,” Goldin said in her one-minute testimony, reproduced in full at the end of this article. “My addiction destroyed my relationships with my friends and family, and almost ended my career of 50 years.”
Goldin, who leads the anti-opioid group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), has shared her personal struggle with Oxycontin before, but this is the first time she did so in the context of a congressional hearing where members of the Sackler family were present. David and Kathe Sackler, both former board members at Purdue Pharma, expressed “sadness” over the drug’s effects but denied any personal responsibility for the crisis.
“There’s nothing that I can find that I would have done differently based on what I believed and understood then,” Kathe Sackler said in the hearing.
Their presence at the hearing, and that of Purdue chief executive officer Craig Landau, came after Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) threatened to issue subpoenas.
The testimonies come at a tumultuous moment for Purdue Pharma. The company pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in October and reached an $8.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice that has been criticized for being too lenient and not holding individual Sacklers accountable. In the wake of the settlement, New York University’s Langone Medical Center became the latest institution to remove the Sackler name from its spaces, following protests led by P.A.I.N. and NYU students.
The virtual hearing can be viewed here. Goldin’s testimony is appended in full below.
“My name is Nan Goldin. I am an artist and a survivor of the opioid crisis. In 2014, I was prescribed Oxycontin for a wrist surgery. I was addicted within a few days, while using as prescribed. Doctors continued to prescribed it to me for pain, and then anxiety. Oxycontin damaged me emotionally, physically, and financially. Before Oxycontin, I traveled constantly, and showed my work at museums around the world. My addiction destroyed my relationships with my friends and family, and almost ended my career of 50 years. I spent my entire savings and was locked in my house for three years. I delayed treatment because of my crippling fear of withdrawal. It’s a form of torture. I overdosed in 2017 and spent months in a detox clinic. I regret the years I’ve lost, which are irretrievable; now I try to speak for the half a million that no longer can.”
The Latest
Basking in Vermeer’s Light at Rijksmuseum
In Vermeer’s paintings, the world is much larger than we imagined and yet somehow deep, meaningful, and magical.
The Art World “Darling” Who Went Rogue
Joan Brown resented the easy commodification of her work, and the incessant demand for her to create something just so others could own it.
Tulsa Artist Fellowship Calls for Artists and Arts Workers of All Disciplines
Ten awardees will receive a total of more than $1.95 million in support and resources in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
How Anthony Daley Abstracts Rubens
In the work of Rubens, painter Anthony Daley finds correspondences of color that can carry expressive meanings abstractly.
Native Filmmakers Decolonize the Screen
“Only Indigenous voices can tell their stories with dimensionality, and the tools to make that happen are incredibly accessible,” says film director Christian Rozier.
Pedro Reyes Explores Disarmament in DIRECT ACTION at SITE Santa Fe
The Mexican artist confronts gun violence and nuclear power through sculpture, print, performance, and video work.
Netflix Forgot to Include Puerto Ricans in Production of Reggaeton Show
Critics say the new comedy series Neon was written, directed, and produced by non-Puerto Ricans.
It Was No Pearl Earring, Friends
The pearl earring in Johannes Vermeer’s famous masterpiece was likely a fake, researchers say.
Call for Applications: Inspiration Lab Artists-in-Residence at University of the Arts
Ten artists will receive studio space and access to faculty, staff, students, workshops, and programming at an arts institution in the heart of Philadelphia.
Hirshhorn’s New Reality Show Looks for America’s Next Top Artist
Seven artists will compete for a cash prize and a chance to exhibit their work at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum.
Indiana School Catches Heat for Plan to Deaccession Works
Top museums organizations condemned the Brauer Museum of Art’s plan to sell major artworks to fund the construction of new dorms.
Onsite Gallery Presents more-than-human
The media artworks in this show at Toronto’s OCAD University tell a tale of symbiosis, intersections, and more-than-human relationality.
New Hampshire Bakery Sues Town to Save Pastries Mural
The fight over the mural, painted by high school students, evolved into a First Amendment case.
US Museums Reduce Emissions With Help From Frankenthaler Foundation
Art museums and schools are encouraged to apply for the grants.
Dear Valentina,
I feel sorry for Nan Goldin because she lost her sister at such a young age. We’re you aware if the fact she has been a drug addict off and on probably since her late teens? Ordinarily doctors avoid prescribing opiates to known drug addicts
abd addicts themselves are assiduous about refusing them when offered. She had the responsibility for this but didn’t assume it. Instead, she is destroying a valuable system of funding for hospitals
and museums. And to what end? What wil she do the next time she has pain? And who will replace the Sacklers?
Mellons? Fricks? Rockefeller’s? Carnegie?
Whose skirts are squeaky clean?
Unfortunately journalists are perpetuating victim hood which sets aside the reality if addiction which is a terrible disease because it requires great will power on the part of the person who has it. How about launching a project that would arrest and imprison the scurrilous person who tried to sell her drugs while she was in treatment? How about agitating for more funding for drug treatment research and therapy?
Sincerely,
Dr. Devra C Marcus