The gift shop in the Baltimore Museum of Art is selling souvenir postcards that feature a picture of the Andres Serrano “Piss Christ” artwork; it shows a crucifix submerged in a jar of the artist’s urine. Catholic League president William Donohue spoke to this issue today:
“After 9-11, the Baltimore Museum of Art removed a painting by Christopher Wool entitled ‘Terrorist’ simply because the name of the artwork appeared on the painting. The museum issued a statement saying that the action was taken ‘out of respect to visitors’ sensibilities.’ Doreen Bolger, the museum’s director, went so far as to say, ‘The work hasn’t changed, but our perception of it has.’
“This is so amusing. For years we’ve been told by the postmodernists that art has no meaning save what people attribute to it. Yet the doyens of our culture now seem to have discovered the precise meaning of Wool’s contribution and allow for no diversity of opinion: they know what it means and they are offended. Therefore it must be removed. But when it comes to dunking the holiest Christian symbol in urine, they withdraw their censorial knife. That’s because they really don’t have respect for the sensibilities of Christians. Nor has their perception changed regarding the Serrano hate art: they like it as much today as they did before 9-11.
“Five years ago the Baltimore Museum of Art featured an attack on Mother Teresa. That was done under the auspices of Arnold Lehman, who has since moved to the other ‘BMA’—the Brooklyn Museum of Art—home of dung-laden portraits of Our Blessed Mother and defamatory portrayals of the Last Supper. This is quite a gang. Not even the reality of airplanes flying into tall buildings killing thousands of innocent persons is enough to change their perception of Catholics.
“It is the goal of the Catholic League to get the artistic community to treat Catholics the way they do Muslims.”
