Attacking Art: Piss Christ Vandalized In France

Andres Serrano's infamous photograph "Piss Christ" was attacked by some young French radicals recently.

On Palm Sunday morning, four people in sunglasses aged between 18 and 25 entered the exhibition just after it opened at 11am. One took a hammer out of his sock and threatened the guards with it. A guard grabbed another man around the waist but within seconds the group managed to take a hammer to the plexiglass screen and slash the photograph with another sharp object, thought to be a screwdriver or ice-pick. They also smashed another work, which showed the hands of a meditating nun.

The intersection of art and religion either leads to amazing works like the Pietà or a clash of ideas like this attack or the destruction of Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. I can only hope that we, as a species, can evolve to a point where all points of view are allowed, debated, discussed, and considered--but never summarily dismissed or diminished because they don't fit into one's particular worldview.

Until then, go enjoy some disruptive and disturbing art.