November 1999

Museum director pulls controversial exhibit

By: A.J. Dickerson - Of the Associated Press

DETROIT – The Detroit Institute of Art’s new director pulled an exhibit three days after it opened because he feared it would offend blacks and Christians.

The multimedia exhibit included a Jesus figure wearing a condom in a bathtub, and one piece whose title had a racial epithet, Graham Beal said Monday.

"I was concerned it would cause serious offense," he said. "I felt strongly I could not defend a couple of the pieces."

A 12-part series created by artist Jef Bourgeau and called "Art Until Now," the initial exhibit had opened last Wednesday.

The exhibit, which also featured a vial of urine from Andrew Serrano’s highly publicized photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine, had been accepted by a curator two years ago, when the museum had no permanent director.

"A couple of the pieces were surprises," said Beal, who became museum director two months ago.

He first saw the exhibit Thursday and closed it Friday – and said he was postponing it. He said he hadn’t realized the exhibit had already been opened to the public.

Bourgeau said the art of the 90s intends to make people think. "Part of the power of the work … is to evoke discussion," he said. "The museum is preemptively trying to avoid controversy. They wouldn’t reason with me."

Beal said that Bourgeau was asked to severely alter the display but wouldn’t. The artist said he was willing to make some changes, such as retitling the piece with the epithet.

Topics such as religion, race and sex rouse emotions that can make rational debate difficult – evoking not discussion but blind outrage, Beal said.

"These are very delicate issues," he said. "This should not in any way be construed as an attack on artists."

A museum curator offered to postpone the show so staff could discuss which pieces were wanted or not, Bourgeau said Monday. "I told him, ‘You’re going to toss out work you don’t think safe and weaken the entire installation’s intent.’ And I said, ‘I can’t agree to that.’"