BUFFALO, N.Y. — Some controversy is now swirling around one of Buffalo's major cultural institutions.
The major millions donor for the recently reopened and renovated Buffalo AKG Art Museum has raised some major issues through social media postings.
2 On Your Side took a closer look and sought reaction.
Back in June when the Albright Knox and now Buffalo AKG Art Museum reopened following its $230 million renovation, Jeffrey Gundlach, a Western New York native and now a wealthy California businessman and financier, joined the celebration as a leading donor of $65 million for the museum.
Back then Gundlach said this to the assembled politicians and crowd on hand.
"Be proud of giving and giving, which seems so often absent in our world of take, take, take that we seemed to be living in today," he said.
So recently, with art museum staffers announcing in November a labor organizing effort with Workers United, Gundlach is perhaps questioning give and take with some now-deleted posts on the X platform.
One stated "unionizers are descending on the AKG," which is a cultural "treasure," and then if the cost structure of the AKG, which, in his post, is "barely making it now" is increased, the museum will "have to close" after the $200 million renovation.
He added if the museum closes with union cost pressure, there will be "no jobs, no art and no incremental tourism." These X postings again were later deleted.
Gundlach caught some criticism himself in replies to his postings. One person said it is obvious he no longer lives here in "a union town" and that the museum is really made possible through efforts of its workers.
AKG Museum Director Janne Sir'en, who declined an on camera interview, responded in a statement that while they're aware of Gundlach's posts as an important donor, that he is "not a part of the museum's leadership," and his views "do not reflect museum leadership" views.
Siren also said they respect the workers' rights to unionize, and if a union is voted in by the staff, they will bargain with it in good faith.
Again, we must point out that the AKG Museum renovation project received $47 million in state funding. There were also additional federal tax dollars, along with county support for the museum, which is projected to boost tourism with a $34 million economic impact.
We will point out that AKG Museum Director Sir'en, who did not in his statement address Gundlach's claim about the museum just "barely making it" and a possible closing if costs would climb with a union.