Synopses & Reviews
In September 1999, Sensation, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, opened its doors, igniting a controversy still burning in the art world. This collection of cutting-edge art from the Saatchi collection in England, and the museum’s arrangements with Charles Saatchi to finance the show, so offended New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani that he attempted to shut the museum down by withholding city funds that are crucially needed by that institution. Only a legal ruling prevented him from doing so. Like the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition before it, Sensation once again raises questions about public spending for “controversial” art, but with the added dimension of religious conflict and charges of commercialization.
The contributors to this volume use the Sensation exhibition as a stepping-stone to analyze larger questions such as the authority the government has to withhold funds, various interpretations of the First Amendment, how to respect divergent cultural and religious values; and the economic stake of museums and dealers in art. In their articles—written expressly for this volume, and spanning the disciplines of law, cultural studies, public policy, and art—the contributors consider issues at the center of arts policy. They propose various legal strategies, curatorial practices, and standards of doing business intended to serve the public interest in the arts.
Synopsis
In September 1999,
Sensation, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, opened its doors, igniting a controversy still burning in the art world. This collection of cutting-edge art from the Saatchi collection in England, and the museum's arrangements with Charles Saatchi to finance the show, so offended New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani that he attempted to shut the museum down by withholding city funds that are crucially needed by that institution. Only a legal ruling prevented him from doing so. Like the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition before it,
Sensation once again raises questions about public spending for "controversial" art, but with the added dimension of religious conflict and charges of commercialization.
The contributors to this volume use the Sensation exhibition as a stepping-stone to analyze larger questions such as the authority the government has to withhold funds, various interpretations of the First Amendment, how to respect divergent cultural and religious values; and the economic stake of museums and dealers in art. In their articles--written expressly for this volume, and spanning the disciplines of law, cultural studies, public policy, and art--the contributors consider issues at the center of arts policy. They propose various legal strategies, curatorial practices, and standards of doing business intended to serve the public interest in the arts.
About the Author
Lawrence Rothfield is an associate professor of English and comparative literature and director of the Cultural Policy Program at the University of Chicago.
Table of Contents
Introduction: the interests in "sensation" / Lawrence Rothfield -- The Brooklyn controversy: a view from the bridge / Carol Becker -- The marriage of art and business / Richard A. Epstein -- The questions of free speech / Geoffrey R. Stone -- Culture and the constitution: a guide for the perplexed / Cass R. Sunstein -- The false promise of the first amendment / David A. Strauss -- Reasons we shouldn't be here: things we cannot say / Stephen B. Presser -- Who should pay (for the arts and culture), who should decide, and what difference should it make? / J. Mark Schuster -- The subjunctive mood of art / Homi K. Bhabha -- An all-too-predictable sensation / David A. Ross -- Sensational or status quo: museums and public perception / Teri J. Edelstein -- Offending images / W.J.T. Mitchell -- The attitude of the audience for "sensation" and of the general public toward controversial works of art / David Halle, Elisabeth Tiso, and Gihong Yi -- Shop value / John Brewer -- "Sensation" and the ethics of funding exhibitions / James Cuno -- Some sensational reflections / Gilbert S. Edelson -- Don't shoot the messenger: why the art world and the press don't get along / András Szántó -- Afterword / Kimberly Rorschach