Outrage Over Last Supper Orgy Image Rattles Vienna Museum
A Catholic Church-affiliated museum in Vienna was shaken up this week by a controversy that erupted over the display of an unconventional rendering of Jesus and his disciples sharing the Last Supper -- and then some -- in an exhibit called "Religion, Flesh and Power."
A Catholic Church-affiliated museum in Vienna was shaken up this week by a controversy that erupted over the display of an unconventional rendering of Jesus and his disciples sharing the Last Supper — and then some — in an exhibit called “Religion, Flesh and Power.” The etching, by Austrian artist Alfred Hrdlicka, depicts Jesus and his faithful followers engaging in sex acts, an interpretation that has proved highly unpopular in some circles.
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Bernhard Boehler, director of the cathedral museum, said earlier this week he was “surprised at the heat of the battle” over the orgy drawing.
“In Austria, no special reason is required for a church museum to dedicate an exhibition to the most important living sculptor,” Boehler said. But he said the museum decided to remove the offending work “out of consideration for the religious feelings of some Christians.”
“The protests came primarily out of fundamentalist Christian circles in the USA and Germany,” he said, referring to various Web sites.
“There is a long dialogue between art and the church,” Boehler added. “For the church, the quality is decisive — not the piety of the artwork.”
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