Confronting Bodies: Iwona Blazwick, director of the Whitechapel Gallery
Date of Action: October, 2006
Specific Location: London, U.K.
Description of Artwork: A number of works by surrealist artist Hans Bellmer; some of them include naked girl-dolls.
Description of Incident: The works were removed upon orders from the gallery director the day before the exhibition was supposed to open. Apparently, according to the curator Agnes de la Beaumelle, the motive was not to shock the partly Muslim population of the Whitechapel neighbourhood, as well as fear of the response of anti-pedophile groups. The gallery cited space constraints.
Results of Incident: The exhibition opened without the offending images.
Source: Reuters
Submitted By: NCAC