Beyonce‘s Cowboy Carter advertisement on the Guggenheim was never officially authorized, according to a spokesperson for the New York City museum.
In a statement shared with Complex on Thursday (March 21), a representative of the venue stopped short of denouncing the projection, which went viral on social media the night before.
“The Guggenheim was not informed about and did not authorize this activation,” the person wrote.
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“However, we invite the public—including Beyoncé and her devoted fans—to visit the museum May 16–20 when we present projections by artist Jenny Holzer on the facade of our iconic building to celebrate the opening of her major exhibition.”
The museum followed the statement up with a cheeky Instagram post referencing the Bey craze with a post of German artist Franz Marc’s painting, “Three Horses Drinking.”
In the caption, they wrote: “This Ain’t Texas [cowboy emoji].”
Beyoncé "Cowboy Carter" projection on Guggenheim Museum wasn't authorized by venue pic.twitter.com/0PlMvTQ2Tt
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) March 21, 2024
Earlier this week, Beyoncé released the limited-edition artwork for her upcoming album. The visual for the country-inspired record features her naked and wearing a sash that reads “act ii BEYINCÉ.” She also notably had her hair braided with beaded bangs as she held a lit cigar.
Erykah Badu seemed to have taken issue with Queen B’s hair in the image, which mirrored a style the “On & On” singer has rocked in the past.
Upon catching wind of the cover, she shared it on her Instagram Stories along with the caption “Hmmm.”
The 53-year-old subsequently took to Twitter and wrote: “To JAY-Z. Say somethin Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me?? [grinning squinting face emoji].”
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The “Green Eyes” crooner previously called Beyoncé out for biting her style in response to a metallic, wide-brimmed hat the latter wore on her Renaissance Tour last year.
She commented with the same “Hmmm” underneath a picture of Bey’s outfit on social media at the time. Badu then posted a picture of herself performing in a similar hat, adding: “I guess I’m everyone’s stylist. favorite chrome mirror hat.”
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Beyoncé even appeared to respond to the shade on a subsequent tour stop in Massachusetts. During a performance of “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” she skipped her usual shoutout to Lizzo and replaced her name with a mention of Erykah Badu, saying her surname four times.
She replaced the original lyrics “Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl” with: “Badu, Badu, Badu, Badu.”
