Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1999: A 72-year-old devout Catholic man slips past the museum guards and uses white paint to deface a work of art by Chris Ofili, an artist with Nigerian heritage. Why did Ofili use elephant dung in his depiction of The Holy Virgin Mary? Why did the self-appointed censor feel the need to literally whitewash the artwork? And why have various charismatic figures—including Anthony Comstock, Jesse Helms, and Rudolph Giuliani—been consumed with “cleansing” America of art they deem offensive, while others argue that a truly free America needs the public support of art that stirs us?
This year’s Loggia Lecture series is called Reject, Revile, Repeat. In each Loggia we’ll explore a form of censorship within art history, including contemporary America. Count on the stories to be engrossing and the issues thought-provoking. Ultimately, each Loggia will testify to the power of art, given how authorities through the ages have been threatened by it.
Bellevue Arts Museum
Suggested Donation of $5-$25. RSVP. (Limit to 125 participants.)
About Rob Prufer
Rob Prufer brought his love for history, art, and ancient languages to the faculty of Bellevue’s Newport High School in 1995. Since then, his teaching specialty has become Advanced Placement Art History. This passion led him to create the Loggia Lecture Series for the wider community in 2011 and to Bellevue Arts Museum in 2015. He is delighted to offer the third season of Loggia Lectures at BAM, pairing art history with featured artworks at the Museum. In his spare time, Rob can be found cycling, studying Italian, and traveling with his wife, Lesley.