Key Points
- A new art exhibition in Spain shows work that has been been “censored, assaulted, violated, banned”.
- Many of the 42 works deal with religion or politics.
- The works are designed to widen our tolerance and reduce their scandal.
The objects are part of a collection of 200 such works belonging to Tatxo Benet, a Catalan businessman.
“Works that have a history behind them, without that history they wouldn’t be here,” he added.
The Museum of Forbidden Art in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain features more than 200 pieces, including sculptures and photographs banned and censored in different countries of the world. Source: Getty / Europa Press News/Europa Press
‘Always have a place’
The museum also showcases a photograph of a crucifix submerged in the urine of New York artist Andres Serrano, which was vandalised during an exhibition in France and sparked an uproar when first shown in the United States in 1989.
The artwork forms part of an exhibition called Censored being shown in Barcelona, which including sculptures and photographs banned and censored in different countries of the world. Source: Getty / Europa Press News/Europa Press
There’s also an image of former Iraqi leader Suddam Hussein in a tank of formaldehyde created by Czech sculptor David Cerny called Shark.
Meanwhile Make America Great Again is a naked sketch of former US president Donald Trump with a small penis, by Australian-American artist Illma Gore. The artwork has been censored on social media sites and delisted from eBay after the anonymous filing of a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice.
The artwork Make America Great Again by Australian-American artist Illma Gore is being shown at the Forbidden Art Museum in Barcelona. Source: Getty / LLUIS GENE/AFP
The museum also displays paintings and sketches by former prisoners at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, including one of the Statue of Liberty submerged in water with only the hand holding a torch and top of the crown visible.
Montserrat Izquierdo, a 67-year-old Spaniard, said, “It is good to be able to see what is forbidden, what you are not allowed to see normally.”