by Jane Harris
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It seems Showtime too is getting on the controversial art bandwagon. Its upcoming film on Robert Mapplethorpe, currently in production, focuses on the artist's infamous exhibition at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center in 1990.
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"Arrogant Dust"
Ron Zajac |
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"In My Judgement"
Ron Zajac |
The exhibition, which featured highly stylized, sexually explicit photographs, sparked a national debate over government funding of the arts, and legal definitions of "obscenity".
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It also brought the Cincinnati Arts Center director, Dennis Barrie, into the public eye (he was put on trial and charged with pandering obscenity). The film highlights the personal ordeal suffered by Mr. Barrie as it closely traces the details of his trial and its effects on his private life.
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"The Healing"
Ron Zajac |
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"Reclining"
Ron Zajac |
According to Jerry Offsay, president for programming at the Showtime networks, the sexually offensive images at the heart of the story will be made visible in the film, despite their extreme graphic content.
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The film will likely be aired sometime in May or June, just in time for the New York Senate race between Mayor Giuliani, and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, another spectacle sure to draw great crowds.
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"Sacrafice"
Ron Zajac |
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For more information on Mapplethorpe, check out:
this site or contact the Foundation here.
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Other Art News...
The Art in Kids Books |
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Read our archived Art in the News |
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