LONDON – An exhibition at the Tate Modern has been temporarily closed, after police investigated a nude photo of then 10-year-old Brooke Shields!
The famous London museum Tate Modern is opening an exhibit today called “Pop Life, Art in a Material World”. Its statement is to explore how “artists have mixed commerce and glamour to promote their public image”. The exhibit features works by renowned pop artists such as Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol.
However, a photo of Brooke Shields has been temporarily removed from the gallery while police speak with museum staff. They had received complaints about the photo being displayed, which features Shields nude at age 10. She is shown from the knees up, naked, oiled and wearing make-up.
Richard Price’s work “Spiritual America” is actually a picture of a photo taken in 1975 by artist Gary Cross. Cross claimed Shields’ mother gave him permission to hire her as a model. Shields lost a 1981 court battle to buy the negatives, as the judge ruled the mothers’ initial permission was a binding agreement.
Scotland Yard said its officers met with Tate bosses yesterday. They released a statement which said, “The officers have specialist experience in this field and are keen to work with gallery management to ensure that they do not inadvertently break the law or cause any offense to their visitors.”
While curators purposely kept the image separate from the rest of the exhibit, which features sexually explicit works, children’s advocate and religious groups are outraged.
“Putting a sign on the door like that means every pedophile in the land will head straight to that room,” said Michele Elliott, founder of a children’s charity called Kidscape.
It is still unknown if the image will be displayed again.
[polldaddy poll=2063719]
