French Catholic extremist destroy famous Piss Christ

[FreeState]

Sorry no English article yet... Here is the translated one. Shame extremist were allowed to destroy such a great article of art.

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rue89.com%2F2011%2F04%2F17%2Fdes-cathos-integristes-detruisent-le-piss-christ-blasphematoire-200337&lp=fr_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

The debate on secularity, or at least on the place of the religion and the tolerance, rebounded where it was not awaited, around a work of art of Andres Serrano judged blasphématoire by catholics in Avignon.

Sunday, according to information of France Info, this work was destroyed at the time of overflows during a protest demonstration of several hundreds of integrist catholics in front of the museum of contemporary art of Avignon, and the collection of the Parisian galerist Yvon Lambert who presented it.

Work, entitled Worse Christ, a photograph of the New Yorkean artist Cuban Negro Andres Serrano representing a crucifix plunged in glass of urine, is not new: it goes back to 1987, and regularly causes the polemic when it is shown, in particular on behalf of the American evangelists, even if Serrano itself is said believing and fascinated by the catholic faith. It however had been shown two years ago at the Centre Pompidou without making waves.

Work was presented to Avignon within the framework of a judiciously named exposure I believe in the miracles, marking the tenth birthday of the installation of the collection Lambert in Avignon, the city of the popes.

[cleanhippie]

1. Religious believers have trouble accepting anything but their own criticisms.

Its hypocrisy to the Nth degree.

[frazzled]

2. Well, thank goodness we live in the age of mechanical reproduction.

It's a photograph: it can be replaced. It's a print. (Limited, I'm sure, but the artist can make another if he so chooses.)

[cleanhippie]

9. You seem to be glossing over the fact that extremists destroyed something they opposed

instead of voicing their opinion about the art and making a valid argument.

[frazzled]

29. I don't gloss it over: I'm just saying that they can't destroy it

It will persist, despite their revolting behavior. And they'll go to prison. The work of art will survive.

[cleanhippie]

31. Ok, fair enough.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. They should wait 3 days and then replace it.

[ZombieHorde]

14. Awesome. nt

[Arugula Latte]

21. Ha ha ha!

:thumbsup:

And put a rock in front of it for extra effect. :rofl:

[undeterred]

4. Somebody's gonna be pissed.

[Gabi Hayes]

5. THANK YOU for this! otherwise I'd never seen Sister Wendy w/Bill Moyers talking about this.

she LOVES the Piss Christ

and the comments at utube are fantastic. they really bring the heavy crazy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9pAKdkJh-Y

[Gabi Hayes]

7. guess what's in this holy reliquary:

[cali]

6. lol.

hardly a grievous loss. Not that I'm condoning the act, but frankly as far as the art itself? eh.

[cleanhippie]

10. I'm sure the artist feels much differently than you do.

Perhaps if someone destroyed something YOU had created in an act of extremist fundamentalism, you wouldn't be so flippant about it.

[cali]

24. I'm speaking from a purely aesthetic pov

I don't think much of his work. I think it's essentially trite and hackneyed and shock schlock. And it's not that I don't like conceptual art or out of any prudish sensibility about some of the materials he chooses to work with. I find him limited.

Now this guy I love:

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Laib-Retrospective-Harald-Szeemann/dp/3775709452

[Gabi Hayes]

12. colbert says AS is a real artist:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/378440/march-22-2011/raging-art-on---art-2

five minutes in, but the first five are pretty funny

[me b zola]

22. I see, art is only good if you like it?

:shrug:

[cali]

25. don't we all make judgments about art? Yeah, I think thomas kinkaid

sucks and I don't care for Serrano. so what?

[me b zola]

39. So if someone destroys de Vinci's art....

ok with you? Eh?

[Richardo]

8. So get another mason jar, some urine and a crucifix and take a picture.

What's the big deal?

The idea of that piece was to offend, it succeeded, and it'd be pretty easy to replicate.

[Old and In the Way]

13. That's what I find humorous...the artist's point has been made.

And if he wants to make a duplicate, what's stopping him? It's not like he put a 1000 hours into the work or invested a huge sum of money. It succeeded the way he wanted it to...religious people would find it offensive to the point of destroying it. But you really can't destroy an idea, can you?

[ZombieHorde]

16. Has the artist stated the point? Seems like several interpretations are possible. nt

[FreeState]

17. If he doesn't have the negatives it won't be easy to reproduce

Lighting changes, as does the color of urine not to mention the availability of the same objects.

It always bothers me when people treat art like it's disposable or one purposed. The arts point was not to offend, however even if it was, it's till art and is just as valid as any other piece of art ever created.

[alp227]

11. I've heard that radical atheists and Satanists will riot over this

just like those Muslims in the Arab world after some Westerners dared to draw Muhammad contrary to Koranic dogma. Oh wait...never mind.

[CJvR]

15. Wimp!

How pathetic to destroy the art rather than the artist. Have our fanatics learned nothing from their Jihadist cousins? Destroying the "art" will only get you denounced as a barbarian. Gutting the artist and stringing him up in his own intestines will get allot of cowardly intellectuals sniveling about how important it is to respect your faith.

[NutmegYankee]

18. Not even the artist!

Just find a group of people that looks non-religious and brutally murder them and blame it on the "offense" of the art. That gets lot's of defenders here.

[provis99]

23. yep. Liberals are all about supporting murder by crazed fundamentalists.

[Nye Bevan]

19. I wonder what would happen if an "artist" immersed a Koran and image of Muhammed in urine.

I have a feeling that things might go a little bit further than simply destroying the "artwork".

[Arugula Latte]

20. A pox on religious extremists of all stripes.

[WinkyDink]

33. Many here would be offended. Christianity? Not so much.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

38. HELP, I'M BEING OPPRESSED!!!!!!!

:sarcasm:

[MiddleFingerMom]

26. "Religiously"-destroyed art -- art that was "objectionable" to some:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan
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Some say, "The mainstream Muslim leadership does not publicly condemn
this barbarism, so they must approve of it".
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Do some say, "The mainstream Catholic leadership does not publicly condemn
this barbarism, so they must approve of it".
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Ironically, from the article (and others), mainstream Muslims DID try to prevent the
destruction of these Buddhist statues.
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The Catholics?
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(crickets)

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[CJvR]

27. Since these barbarians...

...were Mohammedan fanatics I doubt any intervention, other then military, from outside their faith would have mattered.

[Forkboy]

28. I didn't like it, but it sure did piss off all the right people.

[Arugula Latte]

35. Very true!

Oh, and I love your sig line quote!

[backscatter712]

30. In the spirit of the art, I'm gonna be watching zombie movies with some atheist friends on Easter.

While watching, we'll be munching communion wafers with a side of guac.

Hey, we've got to find some ways to observe Jesus On A Stick Day and Zombie Jesus Day...


What?

[TMcCaleb]

40. huh?

[WinkyDink]

32. Hey, I'm not one for detroying art, but "such a great article of art" is a LAUGHABLE description!

[The Straight Story]

34. I think I will destroy a koran and take pics of it and call it art

:evilgrin:

[Bake]

36. I thought it was Mapplethorpe?

Is that a different work, or am I just wrong? :-)

Bake

[kenny blankenship]

37. Plastic crucifix and human urine - how will we ever replace this masterwork?

Western civilization may never recover from the blow.

[Zanzoobar]

41. Shit in a plastic bucket on a picture of your favorite senator.

They'll stick in the Louvre.