Key facts
- Robert Mapplethorpe's photography exhibition 'The Perfect Moment' faced controversy in 1989 due to NEA funding.
- The Corcoran Gallery cancelled the exhibition, but it was later shown by the Washington Project for the Arts.
- The 'NEA Four' artists had their grants rejected, leading to a Supreme Court case.
- A Cincinnati museum director was acquitted of obscenity charges for displaying Mapplethorpe's work.
- Author Isaac Butler's book 'The Perfect Moment' explores the culture wars surrounding art and government funding.
- Concerns about President Trump's potential reaction influenced a biographer's decision regarding a Mapplethorpe photograph of Roy Cohn.
A biographer's attempt to feature a Robert Mapplethorpe photograph of Roy Cohn on a book cover was reportedly complicated by concerns over potential backlash from President Trump, illustrating a dilemma over free speech during the Trump era.
Mapplethorpe's photography, particularly his explicit works, became a focal point of the American culture wars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A retrospective exhibition, 'The Perfect Moment,' touring the U.S. in 1989, ignited controversy when it was discovered that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) had provided a $30,000 grant. This led to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., cancelling the show under public pressure, though it was later exhibited successfully by the Washington Project for the Arts.
The controversy extended to other artists and federal arts funding. In 1990, four performance artists known as the 'NEA Four' had their grant applications rejected due to risqué subject matter. Their case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld the NEA's decision-making process. Separately, the director of a Cincinnati art museum faced obscenity charges for exhibiting Mapplethorpe's photographs, but was acquitted by a jury that found the works did not meet the legal definition of obscenity.
Author Isaac Butler chronicles these events and the broader culture wars in his book, 'The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars.' Butler's research was further motivated by contemporary issues such as Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' statute, reinforcing his interest in reclaiming free expression as a progressive value. Despite the political climate, including concerns about Donald Trump's potential re-election, Butler emphasizes the book's historical focus.