France’s Council of State has cleared a painting by Miriam Cahn of the accusations of pedophilia, allowing it to stay on view.
Titled fuck abstraction.!, the painting portrays a small figure on his knees, hands bound, fellating a larger, muscular figure towering above. The artist, Miriam Cahn, had explicitly stated that the figures represented Ukraine and Russia, and the work itself was inspired by the atrocities committed on Ukrainian women and children by Russian forces. In her words, “The repetition of violence during wars is not intended to shock but to denounce.”
The work was displayed at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in a section dedicated to Cahn’s works. However, in March of this year, certain advocacy groups were outraged at what they considered ‘pedophilic content’ and demanded its removal. The case reached a lower French court, which ruled in Cahn’s favor. However, this did not stop the criticism; the issue became bigger when French right-wing groups also started condemning the work.
Now, the Council of State has ruled that the work is not pedophilic in nature. The court noted that the context of the painting was clearly presented alongside the work at the museum. “Under these conditions, the judge in chambers considers that the hanging of this painting, in a place dedicated to contemporary creation and known as such, and accompanied by a detailed contextualization, does not cause serious and manifestly illegal harm the best interests of children or the dignity of human persons,” the order said.
A group of French museum directors had also come in support of both Cahn and Palais de Tokyo. Speaking against “censorship of expression”, they also pointed to the ongoing debate around Michaelangelo’s David in Florida, USA.
