Mapplethorpe’s Photographs Provoke Controversy
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Arts and Culture Series
- Categories: Arts
- Subcategories: Artists, Artisans, Photography, Photographers, Homosexuality, Homosexuals, Gay Men, Lesbians, Sexuality, Censorship
- Curriculum: American History 1951-present
- Geographical Location: Washington, D.C.
- Date: June 14, 1989
Article abstract: Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographic exhibition was canceled before its arrival at the Corcoran Gallery of Art by gallery officials who cited concerns that its presence would incite a backlash from Capitol Hill.
Summary of Event
Although debate over federal funding of provocative art had been raging since 1982, a 1989 exhibition of erotic art by the late Robert Mapplethorpe had played in Philadelphia and Chicago without arousing controversy. The uproar began when the director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Christina Orr-Cahall, already...
[The entire page is 2123 words long]
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