Art that is banned may be found in all types of regimes, ranging from democracies to those that are authoritarian and genocidal. On the one hand, there has been a consistent debate about the use of public funds for the arts, which always has had a low appeal with electorates. On the other, humankind's knowledge of many civilizations has developed through their artistic contributions, even if they are handed down through history in disfigured form. Ancient Egyptian rulers usually mutilated the images of their predecessors. Almost all religions have tried to ban one form of art or another because of the deity or belief depicted. In Christian art, especially the Byzantine variant, biblical images of Christ and the Holy Family had to follow axiomatic rules on the representation of icons. The work of artists and intellectuals that has criticized military policy or underscored political follies has often been banned and even destroyed in...