Gallery 24Seven: Controversial Art
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Some of the most stunning pieces of art are also the most controversial. Do you ever wonder what on earth an artist was thinking when they came up with it? Whether controversy is created by the scandalous subject of the artwork, by the artist's interpretation or by a simple misunderstanding, it can be quite stirring. Check out these conversation starters from a wide range of artists across history and present day. Bet we can shock you.
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Gallery 24Seven: Controversial Art
- 2. "The Trench Warfare" by Otto Dix A thought-provoking piece of original artwork by this German soldier reflects the horrors of WWI. Dix painted these scenes from his nightmares after returning home from the front. He was later banned by the Nazi regime from creating any disturbing artwork similar to this second piece in a war trilogy.
- 3. Banksy (1974-) A British street artist whose true identity is unknown has made a career of crating controversy in his graffiti, films and paintings. He re-creates what he sees and perceives, but it's rarely a flattering picture. Banksy's works include the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and sobering scenes of Israeli children in the war-torn West Bank.
- 4. "The Last Judgment" by Michelangelo The use of nudes in this Sistine Chapel painting were the centerpiece of derision by the Catholic Church. Although Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Clement VII to create the altar wall painting, it was an artistic display of his interpretation of divine beauty intertwined with the human soul. After Michelangelo's death in 1564, portions of the work were painted over to hide the portrayal of genitalia on some of the figures, which the church considered offensive. It wasn't until the fresco was restored more than 400 years later that the hidden details were revealed.
- 5. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial by Lei Yixin The memorial featuring several quotes and a sculpture of this American civil rights activist was created in Washington, DC under much controversy. While the sculptor aimed to capture the essence of King, many people took issue with the fact that Yixin isn't American, but Chinese – and so is the white granite from which King was carved. One of the quotes carved into the memorial was paraphrased to save space. Critics believed the meaning of his words was misrepresented, prompting the removal of the words two years after its dedication.
- 6. "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci This 16th-century oil painting is at the midst of multi-faceted controversy. While the true identity of the woman is unknown, many believe she was the wife of an Italian merchant named Francesco del Giocondo, and that da Vinci was commissioned to paint her between 1503 and 1506. The painting's landscape background is said to harbor illusions of wild animals, including snakes, buffaloes and a lion. Mona Lisa's mysterious smile and riveting eyes have been in the midst of rumors and innuendo for centuries.
- 7. "Myra" by Marcus Harvey The portrait painting of British child murderer Myra Hindley was created by Harvey out of the handprints of small children. A public protest over its display in the Royal Academy of Art in London featured an angry mob that threw eggs at the painting.
- 8. Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986) This American watercolor artist was looking for a subject to paint. Inspired by her garden, she wandered among her flower blooms with a magnifying glass. Her up- close-and-personal paintings of flowers became famous for their resemblance to female genitalia. Even though the artist insisted that wasn't her intent, O'Keefe's works are still considered shocking and are sometimes celebrated as groundbreaking.
- 9. "Everyone I Had Ever Slept With 1963-1995" by Tracey Emin Among the most controversial works of art from the 1990s, this artistic representation included names of friends, family and others mounted inside the walls of a small tent. While many critics of the piece assumed a sexual connotation and considered it tasteless, Emin later explained that while it did include that type of intimacy, it also included the innocence of sleeping in the same bed with friends and family, such as her grandmother. The piece was destroyed in a warehouse fire in 2004.
- 10. "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso This mural commemorates a fascist coup marked by the bombing massacre of the Basque village of Guernica in Spain in 1937. Picasso's original intent was not as an anti- war piece, but as a piece for the World's Fair. After the massacre, he became outraged and created this representation. He said that the symbols could have many meanings, although most art enthusiasts interpret the painting as a symbol of the pains of war.
- 11. Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) A surrealist and cubist, this French-born artist displayed mundane and unattractive objects at the center of his paintings and sculptures. Among his most famous is "Fountain," which features an upside-down urinal.
- 12. "The Raft of Medusa" by Jean-Louis Andre Theodore Gericault This portrayal of a doomed raft with 149 passengers and crew aboard was the focus of a political row in 1819. Gericault's oil painting was based on a true shipwreck story, but the scene was glamorized in the Romantic Era portrayal of those denied entry to lifeboats and stranded on the raft. Gericault exaggerated the number of bodies depicted in this gruesome painting that stretched about 23 feet long and 16 feet tall. At the epicenter of the political controversy, the ship's captain who abandoned the scene was tried and acquitted by the French for fear of ridicule from the British.
- 13. Chris Ofili (1968-) He uses intense colors and bold images to make a statement. This Nigerian native was the focus of a lawsuit in 1999 after he created "The Holy Virgin Mary" out of cut-up pictures of women. He spread elephant dung on this and other works of art in what is described as an honorable yet satirical manner.
- 14. "Alison Lapper" by Marc Quinn The nude marble sculpture of a disabled and pregnant artist caused much controversy upon its unveiling in London's Trafalgar Square. The shock value was high in the public eye because she has truncated legs and no arms, and Quinn was highly criticized from many sides. Lapper posed for Quinn's sculpture, and she has painted many self-portraits.
- 15. "Yo Mama's Last Supper" by Renee Cox The Brooklyn Museum of Art displayed this photograph in a 2001 exhibit entitled "Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers." It portrays a disrobed African-American woman posing as Jesus with arms outstretched. The artist's comments about the Roman Catholic church in America were more the subject of the controversy with then-Mayor Rudi Guiliani than the actual biblical portrayal. Part of the artist's purpose in participating in the exhibit was to uncover pockets of racism and sexism that she believed should no longer exist.