United Talent partner, board member and co-owner Jeremy Zimmer is known as an avid collector of contemporary art which he shares with the agency offices. Then again, he’s not the most sensitive of agents. (For instance, I remember him ignoring the complaints of the women in the office when he used to urinate out the window of UTA’s old offices.) So on September 16th, Zimmer decided to install in UTA public space on the 4th floor a photograph of an African youth and his chained monkey (photo left). Like all the pictures hanging at the agency, there was no identifier. I’m told that, shortly after, a group of UTA employees comprised primarily of African Americans complained to the tenpercentery’s human resources department that the image was “derogatory” to blacks. “Collectively the employees of color now feel uncomfortable and unwelcome,” one of the staffers emailed me when it happened. “This is not the first time racial discrimination has been exhibited at United Talent Agency, but it is the first time that it has been put on public view.”
A discussion ensued between the agency owners and the human resources department, which then proceeded to explain the pedigree of the photographer who had taken the picture. 
He’s Pieter Hugo, the award-winning South African whose haunting and often provocative portraits try to portray the reality of the African continent’s human condition, and this “Dayaba Usman With The Monkey Clear, Nigeria 2005” was part of a very powerful series of portraits about men and their relationships with the animals they have tamed. But despite the agency’s affirmations that the artwork was not racist, the protesting staffers still said it made them uncomfortable. “I understand that some things are more offensive to others. However, if an image is offensive to anyone, in my opinion, it should be removed. Especially when there is an underlying tension felt by a minority group,” one of the African American staffers inside UTA emailed me.
In the end, Zimmer removed the photo from the agency’s foyer and placed it inside his own office. Since then, UTA tells me, there have been no more complaints.
Sad statement of our P.C. days if this is true. That’s a powerful picture. How anyone, of any race, in the context of an American talent agency can claim to be offended by on racial terms it is hard to imagine. We’re a mentally crippled culture, without question.
Once a pig, always a pig. He will never change.
If the monkey is looking for a job, he should apply at WMA.
What the hell is racist about the photo? A black man and his pet monkey– big deal.
I guess you can find racism anywhere if you really look for it. Jesus Christ I’m glad I live in the “less enlightened” middle of the country.
By the way, who among us hasn’t pissed out the office window?
“I understand that some things are more offensive to others. However, if an image is offensive to anyone, in my opinion, it should be removed. Especially when there is an underlying tension felt by a minority group,” one of the African American staffers inside UTA emailed me.
I whole-heartedly agree with this. Hollywood has been progressive in some ways, but in other ways, it has been horribly racist and backward to non-white people. What a shame.
Are you kidding me? African-American employees find this photograph uncomfortable or offensive? Please! Someone PLEASE explain how this is considered derogatory to blacks. I truly want to understand. Further, the statement that “…if an image is offensive to anyone, in my opinion, it should be removed.” Go fuck yourself! How’s that for offensive? All of this uber-PC shit is offensive to me. Perhaps you should remove yourself altogether. To be clear – I am not nor have I ever been an employee of UTA. I have no business with UTA. But this is ridiculous.
Photo is not offensive at all, but it is strange to hang it at an agency. Did he just put up this one photo or more from that photographer?
This sounds like the Dallas city council member who objected to the use of the term “black hole” to describe where the city’s money was going. He demanded an apology from the other councilor for using such a “racially insensitive term.” An argument ensued with the councilor trying to explain that it was a scientific term while other councilors shouted that it should be called a “white hole!”
Other examples of such ignorance have been when people and newspapers have used the word niggardly or tar-baby, again in describing economic or political situations, and people have objected to the use of these supposedly racist terms. Niggardly actually comes from the Norwegian verb “to niggle,” not from the Latin/Spanish derivation for the common racial slur, and tar-baby refers to the Br’er Rabbit story about a kind of Trojan Horse made out of tar, and again having nothing to do with racial connotations with the exception that tar is black.
I really don’t see anything racial in the picture of the man and his pet monkey, even without any caption explaining its history. This PC movement has gone so far that race is being read into everything, to the point that you can’t criticize anyone who’s black because that’s racism, to eliminating American Indian names from teams and geographical locations for fear of offending someone. It’s crazy! That why most offices go with abstract paintings and generic pictures of flowers in their offices, as to not offend anyone.
UTA should worry more about their offices falling apart than the photos. Their building — at least, in comparison to Endeavor & CAA — is, let’s face it, ass.
“… if an image is offensive to anyone, in my opinion, it should be removed…”
If that is not censorship, I do not know what is.
But who are we kidding, by “anyone”, the writer of course just means “me” or somebody who thinks exactly like me, and because they can tick one or more of the minority boxes and threaten to get Al Sharpton and his megaphone to the front door, nobody will dare call them out in it.
This picture is not derogatory towards African-Americans whatsoever! It is however, derogatory towards monkeys! Somebody needs to stand up for monkey rights!
liberalism run amok. Art is not art when minorities don’t think it is. Let’s start burning books!!
Wow! what a load of PC crap. That is a very powerful picture.
Does that mean that if someone wants to hang a picture with Africans it must be in a suit and tie?
At the end of the day, if the ONLY imagery of black people at UTA is a picture of a destitute black man holding a monkey (and it is, let me assure you) then as a black woman I would be offended. Its not like there is an abundance of diversity at the place (or any agency for that matter) to begin with. It is also not an art gallery filled with varied pieces with explanation. Its not appropriate. If there was a picture of a sick looking destitute Jewish person holding a monkey place on the wall the whole building would have been up in smoke right now — and you KNOW that’s the truth!!!
Let’s face it, in many corporate agency environments there’s an insensitive, unevolved, “frat boy” element that rationalizes any poor behavior as being “funny.” As art/photos are open to interpretation, I could easily see someone trying to be “funny” or “cleverm,” and instead, making an insulting comment toward a black (white, whoever, etc.) colleague who doesn’t appreciate racial humor. If I owned a business, I would NEVER want to put ANY of my employees in a potentially uncomfortable position. Why was it so hard for UTA to see that that’s what they were doing?
Generally, he sounds like a real ‘gent’.
I’m just happy that today Nikki taught Hollywood’s younger generation that Zimmer used to “urinate out the window.” HAHA, this made my day.
Truly amazing the immature, naive, racist people who have posting asking why this photo is racist. Obviously they don’t live in the real world like many of us who sadly still see racism at its worst. Turn on any news channel and you will hear the stories of our politicans still making racist remarks. Go to Beverly Hills and hear the racist comments these so called “Boy agents call the waiters and valet guys and so on. People who have no clue why this photo is offensive are living in a bubble and just “don’t get it.” Just like men who didn’t understand why sexual harrassement was against the law are the same ones crying and complaining what is wrong with this photo. I’m sure their moms would be proud.
This is ridiculous. WTF??? If you find that photo offensive, get the hell out of the entertainment industry. Morons.
The few idiots that are angry in defense of “PC” didn’t read your posting correctly. You don’t understand this to be a powerful photo until you get the “IDENTIFIER”. I’ve seen the same images minus the monkey on a Unicef box. It is that time of year again. The photo was hung w/o an identifier. So yes I can see where a indigent african boy chained to a clothed monkey (with America’s racist history)might be offensive at the work place. A white female UTA agent told me she was pissed 2 weeks ago when it went up that it was offensive to a slew of staff not just the “collective employees of color”. I hear Zimmer puts up an offensive photo every year. Fact is Zimmer is an equal opportunity offensive employer. If you want hang offensive/powerful work, do it at a gallery, not the office.
I, like many of us, dislike Zimmer with a passion. The photo, however, is cool, and maybe a bit provacative for the workplace. If Zimmer were lucky enough to have Michelle Obama come and speak to the staff about being better people, would they let her stand in front of it while she addressed today’s entertainment leaders? Would they let her walk by it? Would they even let her in that dated hole, or would they take her to Brentwood? One will never know..
Liberal racism! The Democratic party, the party of racism. What party has an ex-member of the KKK as their ranking Senator? The Democratic Party. Robert Byrd!
All the people saying they don’t think this picture is racist are correct. It’s not. These types of scenes are popular in African society today.
All the people saying this picture IS racist are also correct.
You can take the most innocuous of words, attitudes or pictures and apply them in a snide way, and make a very different result.
Like in law, there are policies that are “on the face” not racist, but that actually have a racist result or impact. In such cases the courts will strike down that law.
If you’ve got a hold of somebody’s hand and you’re applying pressure, and that person is saying, “Ow, you’re hurting me,” you shouldn’t say, “What this itty bitty amount of pressure? Come on,” and expect people to think you’re not being an asshole.
When I look at the picture, my first question is “why is this hanging at a talent agency?” Then, as I think more about the message of the image, a couple more thoughts come to mind.
1. Does the monkey symbolize the agency and the man symbolizes the talent. The agency and the talent are “unified”. Hmmm? UNITED. TALENT.
2. The monkey and the man are dressed in similar outfits. There was a time in our country when it was common to degrade a black person by comparing them to primates. It was blatant racism. (Google it.) So, for an image to have a man of African descent CHAINED to a primate recalls the inhumane legacy of the slave-trade, dehumanizing treatment of people of African-descent in our country and the crippling effects that racism has had on our country’s growth.
Finally, in my opinion as a human being, a woman, a black person and an American, to hang this particular picture at a Beverly Hills talent agency is inappropriate and in poor taste. It deserves a proper place to be displayed to spark discussion.
I have more to say, but, I will save the non-PC commentary for a more private conversation.
…and then people wonder why this country is so…well, you can fill in the blank.
Let’s just say, simply because Will Smith is one of the most powerful people in Hollywood and this (otherwise) great nation is poised to elect to its highest elective office a person of ‘color’, that those achievements do not erase the 200+ years of racial inequality. As another poster pointed out, if it was an impoverished Jewish person with an animal, then it is doubtful it would have been hung in UTA’s general hallways.
Sure, you can make the valid argument that one persons art is anothers trash. Likewise, the protections under the 1st Amendment is what allows Zimmer to make an ass of himself on a daily basis…and the rest of us, to comment freely without being thrown in jail and/or otherwise censored. This is what makes this nation unique among her peers.
Zimmer’s biggest mistake is the fact he DIDN’T ask the staff in general, and I’m not suggesting he take a poll first, their opinions on displaying such an innately provocative piece of art. If he had the sensitivity and smarts to at least hear the opinions of others, or even have a general discussion about ‘art in the workplace’, he wouldn’t look like a wealthy jerkoff so much of the time (but then, he is only an agent — luckily for America, not a statesman).
In fact, this incident reminds me of how Fox News and the Right in general, got so ‘angry’ over the words of Rev. Wright. Last I checked, there’s PLENTY of reasons for a minority to be angry at this country; Slavery, Jim Crow Laws, Segregation, Amos & Andy, et cetera. I hate to break it to the ‘white majority’ in this country, but yes, blacks and other minorities have a few ‘grudges’ and it’ll take more than Halle and Denzel getting an Academy Award to smooth things over.