Fort Worth (Texas) police have confiscated and “retained as possible evidence” several photographs of Sally Mann that were displayed in the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Artone of the most important in the country. The intervention occurred after complaints made on December 26 by the Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Harein the ‘Dallas Express’: «There are images displayed in this museum that, at best, are highly inappropriate. They should be removed immediately and the authorities should investigate them for possible criminal offenses. Children must be protected and decency must prevail.
Following O’Hare’s comments, Bo French, chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, said: “This is a prime example of what happens when a city’s culture focuses solely on growth and business. If attention is not also paid to the defense of the moral standardsthis type of degeneration occurs. Our wonderful museums should promote excellence rather than radical perversion. These values are indistinguishable from those of San Francisco.
Among the works in the exhibition ‘Diaries of Home’which opened on November 17, 2024, ‘The Perfect Tomato’ (1990) and ‘Popsicle Drips’ (1985), both by Sally Mann, which feature portraits of naked children which some consider child pornography. In one, a naked girl appears jumping on a table. Another shows a naked boy with an unknown liquid substance and his genitals exposed.
The group show ‘Diaries of Home’ features the works of 13 women and non-binary artists who explore the “multidimensional concepts of family, community and home” through documentary photography. They are: Patty Chang, Jess T. Dugan, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Nan Goldin, Debbie Grossman, Letitia Huckaby, Deana Lawson, Laura Letinsky, Sally Mann, Arlene Mejorado, Catherine Opie, Laurie Simmons and Carrie Mae Weems. The museum warns that the exhibition “presents Adult themes that may be sensitive for some viewers. The exhibition will remain open until February 2. Sally Mann’s photographs will not be displayed for the duration of the investigation.
Sally Mann, born in Lexington, Virginia, in 1951, was a Guggenheim Fellow and in 2001 ‘Time’ magazine named her the best photographer in the United States. For more than 40 years, Sally Mann has made experimental photographs that explore themes such as memory, desire, death, family ties…
There have been accusations of child pornography and pedophilia against works of art in other museums in the United States. This was the case of ‘Thérèse dreaming’, by Balthus at the Metropolitan in New York. In 2017, a museum visitor protested because she considered it scandalous. More than 12,000 signatures were collected for the museum to remove it from its rooms. He didn’t do it.
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