After allegations of sexual misconduct against David Adjaye were reported last year by the Financial Times, a number of cultural organisations issued statements announcing that they were ending their collaboration with the star architect and his firm, Adjaye Associates. Meanwhile other major museums and institutions worldwide are moving ahead with projects designed and overseen by Adjaye’s company.
Among the commissions Adjaye lost were two high-profile projects in the UK. He made his own decision to withdraw from the UK Holocaust Memorial to be built in London soon after the accusations were published, according to The Guardian. In January, National Museums Liverpool announced that its £57m redevelopment of the International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum will be designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios instead of Adjaye, the initial winner of its competition. The Africa Institute in Sharjah, UAE, also cancelled its project with Adjaye Associates to build a major new campus in July.
Adjaye’s firm, with studios in Accra, London and New York, has projects around the world, and some of the most prestigious of these are museums. In many cases, his building designs were already under construction when the Financial Times report was published and statements by clients distancing themselves from Adjaye appear largely symbolic. In others, clients were reluctant to make decisions based on newspaper reports.
High-profile projects
Among the high-profile projects that remain in Adjaye’s portfolio is the Museum of West African Art under construction in Benin City, Nigeria. Phillip Ihenacho, the director of the museum, says the opening is planned for 4 November.
“We were obviously very saddened to learn about the allegations, like so many others who have worked with David and his team,” Ihenacho says. “We do not condone nor support behaviour described in the allegations, but nor do we possess sufficient knowledge/information to be able to render verdicts or ‘make statements’.”
David Adjaye was knighted in 2017 PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo
Adjaye has rejected the allegations made against him by three female former employees, which ranged from sexual assault and harassment to a toxic working environment. He called the accusations “untrue” and “distressing for me and my family”. But he also stepped back from a number of public roles so that they do “not become a distraction”. While he admitted starting relationships with employees that “blurred the boundaries between my professional and personal lives”, he said they were “entirely consensual”.
I categorically reject any allegations of sexual misconduct or abuseDavid Adjaye
A recent statement from Adjaye says: “I categorically reject any allegations of sexual misconduct or abuse. They are untrue, distressing for me and my family and run counter to everything I stand for. To restore trust and accountability, I have spent the last six months getting professional assistance to strengthen the firm’s global operational management and governance structures.”
Soon after the Financial Times report last year, Adjaye himself said that he was stepping aside from the completion of the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, “with the heaviest heart” because “the prospect of the accusations against me tarnishing the museum and creating a distraction is too much to bear”. The museum nonetheless continued to co-operate with his firm.
“At that time, the design vision was 100% complete and the building was well into construction,” says a museum spokesperson, paraphrasing a statement from the museum's board. “The museum stated that it was moving toward substantial completion of construction with the New York-based team at Adjaye Associates and Cooper Robertson, the executive architect.” The project is listed on the Adjaye Associates website along with other current schemes overseen by the firm.
Similarly, the Princeton University Art Museum will remain an Adjaye project. At the time the accusations were made public, the building “was already more than 50% complete, and our work with David Adjaye was largely behind us”, James Steward, the director of the museum, said in an emailed statement. “The project is in the hands of our construction managers, L.F. Driscoll, and executive architects Cooper Robertson.”
While distancing itself from Adjaye, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, which is due to open in 2026 in Delhi, is still working with his firm. In a statement on its website, the museum said it “is aware of the serious allegations made against Sir David Adjaye and [has] agreed that he stand aside from having any involvement with the ongoing KNMA project”, adding that it has “full confidence in the wider team to continue delivering the project”.