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motivated by blasphemy, saying instead that it was intended as a serious work of
Christian art. He said, "What it symbolizes is the way Christ died: the blood came out of him but so did the piss and the shit. Maybe if Piss Christ upsets you, it's because it gives some sense of what the crucifixion actually was like...I was born and raised a Catholic and I've been a Christian all my life."
141:, which she characterizes as mysterious and beautiful. She writes that the work is "a darkly beautiful photographic image… the small wood and plastic crucifix becomes virtually monumental as it floats, photographically enlarged, in a deep rosy glow that is both ominous and glorious." Lippard suggests that the formal values of the image can be regarded separately from other meanings.
33:
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as part of an effort to "broaden out the engagement of the church with artists" and to proclaim the church's commitment to supporting art that serves "to waken us up, call us to a new alertness and a new consciousness" about issues of social justice. During this meeting, the pope blessed
Serrano and
90:
The photograph is of a small plastic crucifix submerged in what appears to be an orange liquid. The artist described the substance as his own urine in a glass. The photograph was one of a series of photographs that
Serrano had made that involved classical statuettes submerged in various fluids—milk,
203:
might be "comforting art" which she defined as art that was easy to have an opinion and react to. She said, " ... they're not challenged in the slightest. Ninety percent of them think it's blasphemous, and few like me think, well, it might not be. It might be a rather ham-fisted attempt, to preach
125:
and related artworks, stressing their ambiguity. He has also said that while this work is not intended to denounce religion, it alludes to the recent trend of commercializing or cheapening
Christian icons in contemporary culture. Subsequently, he has explicitly rejected the assertion that he was
231:, which was not granted. Some days later, one patron attempted to remove the work from the gallery wall, and two teenagers later attacked it with a hammer. Gallery officials reported receiving death threats in response to
105:
print. It is glossy, and its colors are deeply saturated. The presentation is that of a golden, rosy medium, including a constellation of tiny bubbles. Without
Serrano specifying the substance to be urine and without the
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referring to urine by another name, the viewer would not necessarily be able to differentiate between the stated medium of urine and a medium of similar appearances, such as
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gesture of approval. Serrano remarked, "I was very happy that the church understands that I am a
Christian artist and I am not a blasphemous artist. I’m just an artist."
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would get the attention it did, since I meant neither blasphemy nor offense by it. I've been a
Catholic all my life, so I am a follower of Christ."
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that she regarded the work as not blasphemous but a statement on "what we are doing to Christ." Beckett said that she was tempted to say that
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172:. Serrano received death threats and hate mail, and he lost grants due to the controversy. Others alleged that the government funding of
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in New York and was favorably received. The piece later caused a scandal when it was exhibited in 1989, with detractors, including
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was included in "Down by Law", a "show within a show" on identity politics and disobedience that formed part of the 2006
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208:. Not a very gifted young man but he's trying his best." "Real art," she continued, "makes demands."
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exhibition that was also on display at the time. Supporters argued that the controversy over
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On June 23, 2023, Andres
Serrano was included among a group of artists invited to meet with
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This article is about the photograph by Andres
Serrano. For the song by Fear Factory, see
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939:"A consecrated critic—profile of popular television art critic Sister Wendy Beckett"
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was vandalized "beyond repair" by
Christian protesters while on display during the
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was on display at the Edward Tyler Nahem gallery in New York, at the Serrano show
1070:"Piss Christ: Andres Serrano's Iconic Work On View At Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery"
709:"Andres Serrano on Donald Trump: I never speak ill of people who've posed for me"
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63:'s "Awards in the Visual Arts" competition, which was sponsored in part by the
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562:"Andres Serrano's Controversial Photograph 'Piss Christ' Destroyed in France"
458:"The Creator of 'Piss Christ' Photographs Trump, Torture, and a Killer Clown"
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1127:"Pope Hosts Artists in Sistine Chapel, Even Some Who Attracted Controversy"
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to restrain the National Gallery of Victoria from publicly displaying
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The work generated much controversy based on assertions that it was
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Art in the social order: the making of the modern conception of art
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blood, and urine. It followed two years after Serrano's 1985 work,
52:
297:
585:"Andres Serrano's Piss Christ destroyed by Christian protesters"
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Christianity-related mass media and entertainment controversies
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to denounce the artwork, comparing it to the anti-Islamic film
71:
agency that offers support and funding for artistic projects.
20:. For the similarly named Fear Factory song "Pisschrist", see
111:
56:
47:
is a 1987 photograph by the American artist and photographer
772:
Fellow and Lecturer in Law Alison Young (January 11, 2013).
726:
Lippard, Lucy R. (April 1990). "The Spirit and the Letter".
615:
Art, activism, and oppositionality: essays from Afterimage
277:
arts series in 1991, explored the controversy surrounding
315:
Religious groups and some lawmakers called for President
101:. The photograph is a 60-by-40-inch (150 by 100 cm)
1154:
Annotated transcription of U.S. Senate discussion about
1051:"Une photographie d'art controversée détruite à Avignon"
325:
that the White House had condemned earlier that month.
121:
Serrano has not ascribed overtly political content to
1021:"Vandalism and threats greet 'Piss Christ' in France"
818:"Shooting the Klan: An Interview with Andres Serrano"
336:
auction in London, UK for ÂŁ130,000 (USD $ 145,162).
239:cancelled the show, allegedly out of concern for a
905:"The Contemporary Convergence of Art and Religion"
883:
472:
78:. Serrano said of the controversy: "I had no idea
407:List of photographs considered the most important
1163:
909:The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion
638:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
628:. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013.
211:During a retrospective of Serrano's work at the
55:submerged in a small glass tank of the artist's
809:
995:
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475:Understanding Society, Culture, and television
1207:Christianity and society in the United States
537:Perspectives on American religion and culture
850:"Sacrifice, Piss Christ, and liberal excess"
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751:. Cambridge University Press. p. 211.
843:
841:
839:
292:(I believe in miracles) exhibition at the
281:, and interviewed Serrano about the work.
133:has presented a constructive case for the
27:Controversial photograph by Andres Serrano
1002:"Chapter 10: When Blasphemy Came to Town"
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1068:Massara, Kathleen (September 25, 2012).
936:
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748:An introduction to the philosophy of art
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607:
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304:was similarly vandalized in the attack.
195:, stated in a television interview with
61:Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art
31:
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917:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199588961.013.0020
902:
836:
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583:Chrisafis, Angelique (April 18, 2011).
424:
1217:Religious controversies in photography
1212:Obscenity controversies in photography
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1125:Povoledo, Elisabetta (June 23, 2023).
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618:. Duke University Press. p. 126.
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1096:"WH Silent Over Demands to Denounce
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977:Sister Wendy on Piss Christ (Part 6)
1094:Barnes, Todd (September 21, 2012).
1031:from the original on April 21, 2011
1019:Sage, Alexandria (April 18, 2011).
456:Nunes, Andrew (February 12, 2017).
425:Johnson, Jennifer (April 9, 1998).
13:
963:
775:Judging the Image: Art, Value, Law
495:serrano piss christ yellow liquid.
402:List of depictions of urine in art
14:
1238:
1147:
1006:Living Water to Light the Journey
903:Wuthnow, Robert (February 2011).
745:Eldridge, Richard Thomas (2003).
707:Jones, Jonathan (April 3, 2016).
882:Catapano, Pete (April 1, 2004).
568:. April 18, 2011. Archived from
540:. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 400.
223:, sought an injunction from the
217:Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne
97:. The full title of the work is
59:. The piece was a winner of the
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937:Heartney, Eleanor (July 1998).
930:
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296:, a contemporary art museum in
170:National Endowment for the Arts
65:National Endowment for the Arts
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307:Beginning September 27, 2012,
284:On April 17, 2011, a print of
178:separation of church and state
85:
1:
412:
265:. The British TV documentary
51:. It depicts a small plastic
18:Concrete (Fear Factory album)
778:. Routledge. pp. 144–.
213:National Gallery of Victoria
204:about the need to reverence
180:. The NEA's budget was cut.
144:
7:
1192:Crucifixion of Jesus in art
848:Casey, Damien (June 2000).
534:Williams, Peter W. (1999).
355:
10:
1243:
513:. SUNY Press. p. 13.
507:Mortensen, Preben (1997).
300:, France. Serrano's photo
15:
826:High Performance Magazine
816:Fusco, Coco (Fall 1991).
659:. Duke University Press.
612:Kester, Grant H. (1998).
225:Supreme Court of Victoria
800:"NEA Annual Report 1986"
215:(NGV) in 1997, the then
69:United States Government
1202:Vandalized works of art
1008:. MartinRothOnline.com.
805:. nea.gov. p. 170.
99:Immersion (Piss Christ)
44:Immersion (Piss Christ)
832:on September 13, 2009.
822:Community Arts Network
362:Censorship by religion
159:United States Senators
39:
1106:on September 26, 2012
1000:Roth, Martin (1999).
656:Review—But Is It Art?
653:Seeley, Bill (2002).
471:Monaco, Paul (2000).
427:"NEA's Cloudy Future"
367:Amen or The Pederasty
328:On October 14, 2022,
290:Je crois aux miracles
153:was exhibited at the
35:
22:Demanufacture (album)
373:God is Great (no. 2)
322:Innocence of Muslims
267:Damned in the U.S.A.
479:. Praeger. p.
437:on October 10, 2012
149:In 1987, Serrano's
1131:The New York Times
572:on April 21, 2011.
294:Collection Lambert
40:
1227:1980s photographs
1197:Color photographs
785:978-1-134-41668-4
666:978-0-8223-2095-1
392:Transgressive art
269:, first shown by
253:freedom of speech
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249:artistic freedom
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131:Lucy R. Lippard
129:The art critic
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713:The Guardian
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672:September 2,
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589:The Guardian
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206:the Crucifix
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193:Catholic nun
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155:Stux Gallery
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135:formal value
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116:polyurethane
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1177:1987 in art
1156:Piss Christ
1098:Piss Christ
867:October 25,
690:|work=
460:. Vice.com.
441:October 25,
348:gave him a
330:Piss Christ
309:Piss Christ
286:Piss Christ
279:Piss Christ
259:Piss Christ
245:Piss Christ
233:Piss Christ
229:Piss Christ
221:George Pell
201:Piss Christ
197:Bill Moyers
174:Piss Christ
166:Jesse Helms
151:Piss Christ
139:Piss Christ
123:Piss Christ
94:Blood Cross
86:Description
80:Piss Christ
76:blasphemous
37:Piss Christ
1172:1987 works
1166:Categories
734:: 238–245.
413:References
302:The Church
162:Al D'Amato
103:Cibachrome
1035:April 18,
861:(Reprint)
692:ignored (
682:cite book
634:cite book
382:(Duchamp)
350:thumbs up
334:Sotheby's
271:Channel 4
241:Rembrandt
145:Reception
1136:June 25,
1100:Artwork"
1074:HuffPost
1055:Le Monde
1029:Archived
922:July 23,
594:July 23,
566:HuffPost
380:Fountain
356:See also
53:crucifix
1025:Reuters
983:May 18,
343:in the
298:Avignon
273:in its
183:Sister
782:
755:
663:
622:
544:
517:
487:
1187:Urine
803:(PDF)
187:, an
112:amber
57:urine
1138:2023
1112:2012
1081:2012
1037:2011
985:2022
957:2007
924:2018
869:2013
780:ISBN
753:ISBN
694:help
674:2010
661:ISBN
640:link
620:ISBN
596:2018
542:ISBN
515:ISBN
485:ISBN
443:2013
251:and
191:and
164:and
67:, a
913:doi
481:100
114:or
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