Is the controversy around Miriam Cahn's painting over?
At the end of an emergency hearing for interim release, Monday, March 27, the administrative court of Paris rejected the requests of several child protection associations calling for the dropout of the painting Fuck abstraction
!
, exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo.
They considered that the painting, depicting a massive man being performed by a frail and tied up figure, constituted an “apology for child pornography”.
The associations were supported by the deputy RN Caroline Parmentier, member of the delegation of the rights of the child, who had challenged the Minister of Culture, during a session of questions to the government.
In her order, the president of the court, Sylvie Vidal, considers on the contrary that
"this work cannot be understood outside its context and the work of the artist Miriam Cahn, who aims to denounce the horrors of war, as well as this is recalled in the document presenting the event distributed to the public”
.
She also adds that
"in view of the measures [...] taken by the Palais de Tokyo
"
,
the plaintiffs are not justified "
in arguing that the maintenance of the work (…) would constitute a serious infringement and manifestly unlawful to the fundamental freedom of the best interests of the child"
.
The painting was taken out of its context, widely distributed without the permission of the artist or the Palais de Tokyo, by interpreting it in an erroneous and biased way, to thousands of Internet users.
Press release from the Palais de Tokyo
On Tuesday, the Palais de Tokyo welcomed this order, emphasizing that it reinforces creative freedom.
"The painting was taken out of context, widely distributed without the authorization of the artist or the Palais de Tokyo, by interpreting it in an erroneous and oriented way, to thousands of Internet users", regrets the management
.
At the head of the board of directors of the Palais de Tokyo, the president of Emerige, Laurent Dumas, speaks of a
“victory against obscurantism”.
The institution, which has just celebrated its 21st anniversary, "
is the place of expression for living artists, and that is what gives it its strength and uniqueness",
adds the patron and collector.
Nearly 45,000 people have already seen Miriam Cahn's exhibition, on view until May 14.
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