In its 2024 Year-in-Review, ARTnews noted a widening schism in the art world, defined by a moral fault: the continued support of Israel amid the destruction of Gaza. A year later—and more than three years into what a UN commission of inquiry determined this fall to be a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip—artists, critics, museums, gallerists, and audiences remain divided over what has become the ethical litmus test of our lifetimes. This year, that divide has shaped not just discourse but practice, determining exhibits, funding, and, in turn, what stories cultural institutions choose to tell. Related Articles This rolling censorship crisis was further amplified in 2025 by Donald Trump’s return to the White House. His tenure so far appears like a successful second act of the marquee mission of his first presidency: The ideological overhaul of the United States’ arts and cultural landscape. Leveraging a brazen expansion of presidential power, Trump and his team have targeted museum leaders and aesthetic movements while undermining the federal government’s grant-making capabilities—leaving the local organizations that form …