What is it about the arts that can throw some people into a tizzy, so to speak?  It doesn’t matter if it’s a painting, sculpture, stage play, dance, a novel or even music.  Someone, somewhere is going to be put off and feel compelled to protest or even attempt to censor the work.  The controversy over a work can be initiated by private citizens, special interest groups or even the government.  The reactions can be based on moral, aesthetic or even political concerns.  It’s not just the average ‘Joe Citizen’ who voices his distain, but art critics themselves have often been at the forefront of the attack on some artists and their work.  The history of controversial art is vast and deserves much more research than provided here.  I have, however, chosen a handful of visual artworks that have suffered the wrath of their detractors only to come out, in the end, having found redemption.

Controversial Art