Andy Warhol Foundation Takes Stand Against Smithsonian Censorship

(12-13-10) The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has taken a strong public position against the Smithsonian's decision to remove a David Wojnarowicz video from "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" at the National Portrait Gallery (story covered in Janet Brown's December 6 blog post): on Friday, the foundation's board voted unanimously to demand restoration of the work, threatening to otherwise refuse all future Smithsonian grant requests.

'I regret that you have put us in this position, but there is no other course we can take,' [Joel Wachs, foundation president] wrote in a letter, which the foundation also sent to members of the news media. 'For the arts to flourish the arts must be free, and the decision to censor this important work is in stark opposition to our mission to defend freedom of expression wherever and whenever it is under attack.'

The foundation, which granted the Smithsonian $100,000 for "Hide/Seek," is encouraging other funders to follow suit.

Read the Arts Beat coverage here.