A painting of the Virgin Mary by Chris Ofili an artist in the year 1996 raised concern and protests from many in London, Berlin and New York. The large painting on a yellow background showed a black woman in a blue robe and it employed mixed media like oil paint glitter and polyester resin together with elephant collaged pornographic images and the name Virgin Mary was on it. The work was termed blasphemous to the church as it mixed the sacred Virgin Mary with profane pornography. Chris Ofili himself had been raised in the Catholic Church and when asked about this said that the elephant dung itself was beautiful.
Scott LoBaido was arrested and charged in court for hurling manure at the museum’s facade. The work was protected by Plexiglas but was later damaged by Dennis Heiner who then smeared white paint to the painting and was charged in court for it. The New York Mayor also angered by that art withheld the Museum’s funding and threatened an eviction if the Brooklyn museum failed to close the exhibition. The museum won a lawsuit against her who termed the work sick. The exhibition of this work in Berlin in London earlier had caused less controversy but after the US controversy, a planned exhibition in the National Gallery was cancelled. Art work should be censored even though one’s man vulgarity is another’s lyric (Justice John Marshall Harlan II, 1971). As much as constitutionally the artists may have freedom of expression, they should have it uphold good societal morals. This kind of art should be banned just like Dayton Claudio’s permit was revoked (Steven Grant, 1992).
Works Cited
Gareth Harris. Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary returns to London
Hillary steps into dung. The Daily Telegraph, 28 September 1999.
