A leading art gallery is facing a furious backlash after taking down a Pre-Raphaelite masterpiece in a bid to ‘provoke debate’.
Manchester Art Gallery has temporarily removed John William Waterhouse’s Hylas and the Nymphs to prompt visitors to ‘challenge the Victorian fantasy’ which ‘presents the female body as either a ‘passive decorative form’ or a ‘femme fatale’.’
However the move has been labelled a ‘cheap publicity stunt’ by visitors accusing the gallery of censorship and crassly attempting to weigh in on the ‘#MeToo’ campaign.
John William Waterhouse’s Hylas and the Nymphs has been temporarily removed from the Manchester Art Gallery
J W Waterhouse’s work completed in 1896, depicts a group of nude nymphs submerged in a lilly-covered pond tempting Hylas – a figure who appears in Greek mythology as Hercules’ companion and servant – to his fate.
The gallery said it wanted to ‘prompt conversation about how we display and interpret artworks in Manchester’s public collection’ by leaving the gallery space temporarily empty.
It was removed from the room ‘In Pursuit of Beauty’, on January 26 as part of an exhibition by the British Afro-Caribbean artist Sonia Boyce, running from 23 March to 2 September 2018.
Postcards of the painting will also be removed from sale in the gallery shop.
Clare Gannaway, Manchester Art Gallery’s curator of contemporary art, said the debates around Time’s Up and #MeToo had spurned the decision.
But responding to a blog post by the gallery, entitled ‘Presenting the female body: Challenging a Victorian fantasy’, several critics hit out at the move.
Artist Michael Browne said it set a ‘dangerous precedent for other artworks’.
The gallery (pictured) hopes to ‘prompt conversation’ by leaving the gallery space temporarily empty
Geli Berg added: ‘I know this move is to promote discussion, but if we impose censorship in the arts, I would find that world truly terrifying.
‘The role of art is to encourage debate.’
The removal has also sparked a wave of criticism on social media under the hashtag #MAGSoniaBoyce.
One Twitter user said: ‘ Why not have a special ‘Snowflake’ wing, with a lawyer and armed guard standing at the entrance to ensure that you sign the mandatory ‘offense waiver’ as they enter under a huge sign that says ‘warning, beautiful art, may display breasts’. The world is worse off because of this.’
Others discussed the irony of likening the piece – which depicts the protagonist Hyla being abducted by nymphs – to the #MeToo movement, which encourages largely women victims to speak out about sexual abuse.
One Twitter user said: ‘I’m not sure that @mcrartgallery really know the myth of Hylas, who was the best Heracles’ friend (probably his lover) and died because the beauty of nymphs, who fooled him like mermaids.’
Another added: ‘Women using their beauty to overpower men. How is it related to the #metoo movement?’
The Cube Gallery in the South Downs Heritage Centre in Hassocks, West Sussex was forced to remove these photos from an exhibition last year
Last year, an art gallery was forced to remove ‘absolutely disgusting and obscene’ Victorian art from an exhibition after receiving a spate of complaints.
The six photographs, depicting nude and partially clothed women, formed part of the ‘Romance’ exhibition to coincide with Valentine’s Day at The Cube Gallery in the South Downs Heritage Centre in Hassocks, West Sussex.
But the photos were spotted by three women, aged between 60 and 80, who were outraged by the works – and demanded they be taken down.