Work by artists as diverse as Pablo Picasso, Ai Weiwei and the American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe will be brought together under one roof this week in what curators say is the world’s only museum devoted to art that has been censored.
The Museu de l’Art Prohibit (Museum of Forbidden Art) in Barcelona consists of about 200 works that have been denounced, attacked or removed from exhibition.
Tatxo Benet, a journalist and businessman, began the collection five years ago and is financing the museum, which opens on Thursday, out of his own pocket.
“This is the only museum in the world dedicated to art that has been censored,” he said. While artistic and aesthetic merit had played a part in the selection, the main factor for inclusion had been censorship, he added.
“There are works that perhaps don’t have great artistic merit but their story merits them a place in the museum. That’s what these works have in common and it shows that censorship has failed, because here you can see them. It’s a triumph of freedom of expression.”
The exhibition continued but the US government decreed that from then on a Guantánamo inmate’s art would have to be destroyed upon their release. “Although they don’t have great artistic merit, their story is important,” says Benet. “Exhibiting them here means they have, in effect, been liberated.”
There are works by artists from the US, Europe, Africa and Asia, and they cover a wide variety of topics. Many are commentaries on religion, primarily Christianity and Islam, and are often amusing, although perhaps not to clerics.
At first glance, Con Flores a María by the Spanish artist Charo Corrales conforms to the iconography of the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels – except that she has one hand between her legs and it is clear her ecstasy is more corporeal than divine.
Equally blasphemous are the Argentinian León Ferrari’s image of Christ crucified on the wings of a US fighter plane and the American Andres Serrano’s infamous Piss Christ, a blood-red photograph of the crucifixion immersed in the artist’s urine.
Also featured is Terry O’Neill’s photograph of Raquel Welch on the cross after the actor commented that she was being “crucified” by the press for her scantily clad role in One Million Years BC. O’Neill said he was too scared to publish the picture of Welch in a leather bikini on the cross until he came across it in his portfolio 30 years later.
The French-Algerian artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah and the Kazakhstani Zoya Falkova make powerful statements about the status of women in their respective countries. Bouabdellah’s Silence Rouge et Blue consists of 30 prayer mats, each adorned with a pair of sequinned stillettoes.
In a comment on male violence, Falkova’s Evermust consists of a black leather boxer’s punchbag, except her version is in the shape of a woman’s torso. Evermust was exhibited at the first “Feminnale” of contemporary art at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, but was among several works the government ordered to be taken down after the exhibition caused controversy.
Many works satirise politicians, such as Illma Gore’s portrayal of a naked Donald Trump with a tiny penis in Make America Great Again, Fabián Cháirez’s portrait of the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata in a pink sombrero and high heels or Eugenio Merino’s irresistibly hilarious portrayal of the dictator Francisco Franco dressed in full military uniform inside a vending machine.
Some works are critiques of consumer society, such as Yoshua Okón’s video loop Freedom Fries: Still Life. The viewer looks out from inside a McDonald’s restaurant across a table on which lies an obese, naked person, while outside someone is cleaning the windows.
The work was withdrawn from an exhibition at the Tin Tabernacle gallery in London in 2014 because the museum felt it was not “suitable for the space”.
In Ai Weiwei’s case, the offended party was Lego. Ai used Lego bricks to create portraits of four famous Italians who had been imprisoned or exiled for their beliefs: Filippo Strozzi, Dante Alighieri, Girolamo Savonarola and Galileo Galilei. The portraits were exhibited in Florence in 2016, along with balloons symbolising 21st–century migrants and refugees.
In 2015, Ai publicly criticised Lego for refusing a bulk order of Lego bricks on the grounds that their policy on the use of Lego in artworks was that “the motive(s) cannot contain any political … statements”.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
