Posted on 07/02/2015 7:56:13 AM PDT by JoeProBono
MILWAUKEE, - A Wisconsin art museum is defending the decision to display a controversial portrait of the previous pope composed entirely of condoms.
The Milwaukee Art Museum announced "Eggs Benedict," Niki Johnson's condom likeness of Pope Benedict XVI, will go on display starting in November.
Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki criticized the museum in a blog post:
"Would the art museum accept works that depicted various political leaders of our state in cow dung (a significant animal for Wisconsin)? Would they accept art -- pick your favorite religious or historical figures -- featuring them in various pornographic poses (which has happened in some international publications)? What about art featuring national or international popular social reconstructionists in a manner that would depict the opposite of what they represented, such as Gandhi sporting an uzi, Lincoln in Klu Klux Klan garb or Hitler with a yarmulke reading the Torah, all in the name of art and beauty? Whose art and whose beauty? I would offer that even if the art museum considered accepting any of the above examples, there would be an extensive public discussion that would take place before any decision would be made."
Johnson, who finished the piece in 2013, said "Eggs Benedict" was inspired by the then-pope's comments about the potential for contraception to increase the spread of human immunodeficiency virus in Africa. She described the artwork to WITI-TV as "an act of protest."
"'Eggs Benedict', the piece, investigates the role of world leaders and public health," Johnson said.
Brady Roberts, chief curator at the Milwaukee Art Museum, said not everyone has to agree with the painting's message.
"This is a controversial work. This is an artist that has a point of view and not everyone is going to embrace that point of view," Roberts said. "The artists have been very clear this is not an attack on the Catholic Church or Catholics. This is about AIDS."
Roberts said the museum is not concerned about controversy.
"This is our role -- to stimulate dialogue," Roberts said.
It’s actually not a bad portrait. Wish you hadn’t told me what it was made of.
When will they be displaying the portrait of mohammad made from condoms?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
“portrait of the previous pope composed entirely of condoms.”
Hope they were new ones.
All kidding aside, I don’t know how it is that God has not descended upon us by now.
Disgraceful. The Milwaukee Art Museum will never get another donation from me. Or, ever the price of an admission ticket.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Or pork.
Maybe they can make one of Obama.Constructed of all used condoms from San Francisco.
used condoms ?
The world is filled with sick, hate filled people.
Digging up the graves of Confederate generals just about put me over the edge this morning. Now a picture of the pope made from condoms.
I can’t read the news anymore.
Heading over to ebay to see if all the Confederate flags are banned.
And isn’t that the very issue. They engage in safe controversy. They would not dare depict Mohammed in any media. They do not have the moral fortitude or for that matter the artistic license to engage in controversy against those who might do them harm for their (insulting) bravery.
Exactly. If they are to be intellectually honest, they have to show controversial images of Mohammed, all to stimulate dialogue.
Showing that the left is nothing but a quivering mass of amorphous dung.
If the staff at this museum are “brave” and “edgy,” they should feature an image of Mohammed being ***-****** by a camel, while he simultaneously give a pig a **** ***.
My $0.02.
When is the display of the Mohammed statue sculpted from sausage?
I’d like to contribute a portrait of Barack Obama to the exhibit.
It will be made entirely of pig feces.
Think they’ll take me up on it?
if they had courage of their convictions, they’d exhibit Mohammed engaged in homosexual activity .. to encourage dialogue, of course.
Uh, yeah.
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