Beyoncé Faces Accusations of Unauthorized Museum Stunt for Album Promotion
Beyoncé has come under fire for allegedly failing to obtain permission for a promotional stunt promoting her upcoming album, “Cowboy Carter,” outside New York City’s renowned Guggenheim Museum.
The pop superstar, 42, created a buzz in the city by projecting messages related to her album onto various buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum. However, museum officials have claimed that Beyoncé never sought authorization to use the museum’s facade for promotional purposes.
In a statement provided to Artnews.com, representatives of the Guggenheim Museum stated, “[The museum] was not informed about and did not authorize this activation.”
Nevertheless, the museum extended an invitation to Beyoncé and her fans to visit during the exhibition of projections by artist Jenny Holzer, scheduled from May 16 to 20, to celebrate the opening of Holzer’s major exhibition.
Apart from the Guggenheim, other buildings featured in the stunt included the Whitney Museum, the New Museum, and the Museum of Art and Design. The projections displayed phrases such as “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album,” alongside the album’s title, release date, and the singer’s website address.
Beyoncé promoted the stunt on her Instagram account by sharing coordinates indicating the locations of the light shows.
“Cowboy Carter” is the second installment of Beyoncé’s three-part “Renaissance” project, following her 2022 release, “Renaissance.” Notably, Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart after announcing her foray into country music.
Following her Super Bowl Verizon commercial, Beyoncé surprised fans by dropping two new country music singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” which quickly gained traction. “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 1 on the US chart, with “16 Carriages” also garnering significant streams in its first week of release.
