Here is a picture of a sculpture of Jesus, in the medium of chocolate. The work is entitled “My Sweet Lord”
The Washington Post reports:
The “My Sweet Lord” display was shut down by the hotel that houses the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan. Roger Smith Hotel president James Knowles cited the public outcry for his decision.
The reaction “is crystal clear and has brought to our attention the unintended reaction of you and other conscientious friends of ours to the exhibition,” Knowles wrote in the two-paragraph cancellation notice.
Matt Semler, the gallery’s creative director, resigned in protest.
The six-foot sculpture was the victim of “a strong-arming from people who haven’t seen the show, seen what we’re doing,” Semler said. “They jumped to conclusions completely contrary to our intentions.”
But word of the confectionary Christ infuriated Catholics, including [Cardinal Edward] Egan, who described it as “a sickening display.” Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League, said it was “one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever.”
The hotel and the gallery were overrun Thursday with angry phone calls and e-mails about the exhibit. Semler said the calls included death threats over the work of artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who was described as disappointed by the decision to cancel the display.
“In this situation, the hotel couldn’t continue to be supportive because of a fear for their own safety,” Semler said.
The sculpture was to debut Monday evening, the day after Palm Sunday and just four days before Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The final day of the exhibit was planned for Easter Sunday.
So, if you’d like to get an event or exhibition cancelled, the trick is to issue death threats.
I wonder how we would go about getting governments and international bodies to recognise and prohibit the extreme offence which the cancellation of exhibitions gives to the Non-Lunatic community.
Cardinal Edward Egan is a Blasphemophobe.
Death threats against artists should be regarded not as a simple criminal offence, but as a Hate Crime, directed not only against the recipients of those threats, but against those of us whose group identity is Athiest, Agnostic, Secularist, Not Particularly Bothered by This Sort of Thing, or Religious but Pro Free Expression.
Why not?
Update
My Sweet Lard
ptg in the comments draws our attention to a sculpture of Mohammed made out of lard. This work is to be exhibited next week at Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.
I scent an April Fool.