The Whitney Museum of American Art’s vice chairman resigned Thursday following months of protests over his company’s sale of tear gas.

A group of eight artists recently said they were pulling out of the prestigious 2019 Whitney Biennial exhibition over Warren Kanders’ ownership of Safariland, a company that manufactures tear gas grenades and other weapons, the art website Hyperallergic reported.

Last November, more than 100 museum staffers signed a letter demanding that the cultural institution respond to a Hyperallergic report linking Kanders to the tear gas fired Nov. 25 at the US-Mexico border by Border Patrol Agents into a crowd of migrants that included children.

In December, one of the Biennial artists, Michael Rakowitz, pulled out in protest against Kanders.

Last week, four other artists asked the museum to pull their works from the exhibit, which runs until Sept. 22. Then four other artists followed.

Kanders, 61, cited the protests in his resignation letter obtained by The New York Times, which first reported he was stepping down.

“The targeted campaign of attacks against me and my company that has been waged these past several months has threatened to undermine the important work of the Whitney,” Kanders wrote. “I joined this board to help the museum prosper. I do not wish to play a role, however inadvertent, in its demise.”

Kanders joined the Whitney’s board in 2006 and has been on the executive committee for seven years. Over the years, he has donated more than $10 million to the museum, according to The Times.

In his letter, he wrote: “The politicized and oftentimes toxic environment in which we find ourselves across all spheres of public discourse, including the art community, puts the work of this board in great jeopardy.”

“I hope you assume the responsibility that your position bestows upon you,” he wrote. “And find the leadership to maintain the integrity of this museum.”