{"id":159409,"date":"2023-05-15T00:55:59","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T00:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=159409"},"modified":"2023-05-16T01:03:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T01:03:52","slug":"vandal-targets-miriam-cahns-controversial-painting-in-frances-palais-de-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/art-and-culture\/vandal-targets-miriam-cahns-controversial-painting-in-frances-palais-de-tokyo\/","title":{"rendered":"Vandal Targets Miriam Cahn&#8217;s Controversial Painting in France&#8217;s Palais de Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"           <!--  <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n                jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n                    jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n                        if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n                        }\r\n                    });\r\n                })\r\n            <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n            <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n            <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n                                <span style=\"background-color:#4db2ee;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n                <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#4db2ee;background-color:rgba(77, 178, 238, 0.1);\">\r\n                                                        <li>The painting \"fuck abstraction!\" by Miriam Cahn, displayed at Paris's Palais de Tokyo, has sparked controversy and debate due to its provocative content. Conservative politicians and children's rights groups argue that it endorses pedophilia, while the artist explains that it addresses human rights abuses in Ukraine.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The French Council of State ruled that the painting does not depict pedophilia and is protected by freedom of expression laws. However, an elderly man vandalized the artwork by spraying purple paint on it, leading to the closure of two exhibition rooms.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>Both the artist and the Palais de Tokyo stand firm in their decision to display the controversial painting, emphasizing its intention to shed light on the use of sexuality as a weapon of war. French President Macron and Culture Minister Abdul Malak express support for freedom of expression and denounce the attack on the artwork.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The controversy has reached the French Parliament, with a petition demanding a ban on the display of the painting. However, the Palais de Tokyo defends the artwork, stating that it is not pedo-pornographic and that discomfort it may elicit is essential to art and free speech.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The incident sparks a broader national debate about artistic freedom, public sensibilities, and the role of museums and cultural institutions in navigating these complexities. The debate is expected to continue even after the exhibition concludes.<\/li>\r\n                                                <\/ul>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            \n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A provocative painting by Swiss artist Miriam Cahn, titled &#8220;fuck abstraction!&#8221;, has ignited a fierce debate in France after it was vandalized at Paris&#8217;s Palais de Tokyo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The artwork, which has been exhibited since mid-February, has elicited strong reactions from conservative politicians and children&#8217;s rights groups who argue that it endorses pedophilia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The painting illustrates a smaller figure with bound hands engaging in a sexual act with a larger figure, and Cahn has clarified that her intention was to address human rights abuses in Ukraine, specifically the mass graves in Bucha and sexual assaults by Russian soldiers in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the contentious nature of the painting, the French Council of State permitted its exhibition, ruling that it does not depict pedophilia and is protected by freedom of expression laws.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, on Sunday, an elderly man expressing his disapproval of the painting&#8217;s content vandalized the artwork by spraying purple paint on the canvas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Security personnel apprehended the man, and the police took him into custody. Following the incident, the museum closed two rooms of the exhibition to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Artist and Museum&#8217;s Resolute Stance on Displaying Controversial Art<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the face of public outcry, both the artist and the Palais de Tokyo remain steadfast in their decision to exhibit the painting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cahn has insisted that the figures portrayed in her work are not children and that the piece aims to draw attention to the use of sexuality as a weapon of war and a crime against humanity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guillaume D\u00e9sanges, president of the Palais de Tokyo, has announced that the painting will continue to be displayed with the visible damage until the end of the exhibition on May 14, as per the artist&#8217;s wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>                        <!-- <div class=\"container-c\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"row justify-content-between\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"col-post-800\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- start html -->\r\n                        <div class=\"blockquote-wapper\">\r\n                            <div>\r\n                                <span class=\"text_quot\">\r\n                                    <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guillaume D\u00e9sanges, president of the Palais de Tokyo, has announced that the painting will continue to be displayed with the visible damage until the end of the exhibition on May 14, as per the artist&#8217;s wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n                                <\/span>\r\n\r\n                                <div class=\"quot_icon\">\r\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"quot_tick\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot_tri.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                        <!-- end html -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                                    <\/h2>\n<h2><b>French Authorities Rally Behind Freedom of Expression in Art<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">French President Emmanuel Macron and France&#8217;s Culture Minister, Rima Abdul Malak, have both voiced their support for the painting and the artist&#8217;s right to freedom of expression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President Macron took to Twitter, emphasizing that attacking a work of art constitutes an assault on French values and asserting that art in France will always be free and that respect for cultural creation is a fundamental principle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdul Malak referred to the act of vandalism as a &#8220;direct attack on freedom of expression&#8221; and a grave concern.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>National Debate Engulfs Parliament and Media<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The contentious painting has not only ignited debate among the public but has also reached the French Parliament.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around 13,000 individuals signed a petition demanding a ban on the display of the artwork, compelling Abdul Malak to stand up for the artist and her creations in the political arena.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the controversy, the Palais de Tokyo maintains that, provided the painting is interpreted within its intended context, any discomfort it may elicit is essential to the production of art and the right to free speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The museum&#8217;s legal representative, Paul Mathonnet, defended the work, stating that while it may be shocking, it is not pedo-pornographic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The controversy surrounding Cahn&#8217;s painting serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between artistic freedom and public sensibilities, as well as the responsibility of museums and cultural institutions to navigate these complexities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the exhibition draws to a close, the debate will likely continue to resonate within French society and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":159412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[410],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-and-culture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159409"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}