Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Lifestyle
Amy Werbel, Professor of the History of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Seizure of Sally Mann’s photographs in Texas revives old debates about obscenity and freedom of expression

Photographer Sally Mann poses with her dog in 2004. Michael Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Four photographs by celebrated artist Sally Mann were recently removed from the walls of an exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth at the behest of local Republican officials, who claimed they constituted child pornography. The Fort Worth Police Department is now investigating the allegation.

Those photographs – taken more than 30 years ago – feature Mann’s children posing in the nude on the family’s isolated farm in rural Virginia. They were included in an exhibition titled “Diaries of Home,” which also featured images by renowned photographers LaToya Ruby Frazier, Nan Goldin and Catherine Opie, among others.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.