Women masturbating and various coitus, Antoni Miró exhibition is a case in Spain: called for cancellation. The photos

There are women masturbating, couples joining in coitus in different positions, and then more oral sex, anal copulation, erect phalluses: it is a sampler of eroticism the exhibition by Antoni Miró (Alcoy, 1944) that will open in a few days at the Marina in Valencia, Spain, in a public space, namely on a busy waterfront. Miró’s works, brought together in a series titled Suite Erótica and displayed in the exhibition Antoni Miró en La Base (sponsored by Valencia’s Department of Culture), are directly inspired by Greek ceramics: his are two-dimensional figures that seem to have come out of vases more than two thousand years old. Yet they have caused scandal and raised controversy in the country precisely because of their content, which many people did not like. And all the national newspapers are talking about them.

Among the detractors are members of the Foro de la Familia, an association that aims to promote and defend the person and the family. “The public display of these figures depicting fellatio, masturbation, with exposed genitals and reproducing different erotic practices, with much explicit sexual content and very dubious taste,” said a representative of the Foro, Vicente Morro, “could violate Organic Law 1/1996 of January 15 on the Protection of Minors.” This is because, in Morro’s opinion, “they expose to children, without any form of protection or information or warning, scenes inappropriate for their age, and without the parents who want to be able to walk freely around the area without avoiding seeing them.” Morro also has it in for the exhibition’s curator, art critic Fernando Castro Flórez, who had downplayed the controversy: “children are less ignorant than people think,” he said, “and we seem to be more concerned about eroticism than corruption or terrorism.” And speaking with the Efe newspaper, he added, “if we are scandalized by images that reproduce the works of the cradle of civilization, we might as well unplug everything and leave.” Morro used fiery words against the critic: “Castro,” he said in a statement, “arrogates the right to dictate to parents how to educate their children. If the excuse is art, then a distinction should be made between the artistic use of the naked human body, as Michelangelo did in the Sistine Chapel, and other uses, such as explicit sexual practices. Mr. Castro claims to justify his initiative, the invasion of a public street, with some kind of sex education lesson, and this is unacceptable. Mr. Castro should know that education on morals and values is the responsibility of parents, and it is to them that this right pertains.”

The Foro de la Familia therefore demanded that Miró’s works be withdrawn. It must be said, however, that their reasons are not isolated. “One cannot interfere with the work of parents, nor impose on them the time when they decide to talk to their children about sexual issues,” pedagogue Javier Urra told the newspaper Las Provincias. “Everything has a time, and this society is subjecting children to a lot of sex. You have to let them grow up.” For Urra, it is better that certain works remain inside museums, “where one can observe, value, and enjoy art in all its forms, in all its content, and without any limitations. But the public space cannot be used to hurt the sensibilities of parents, according to a personal and subjective criterion, and to harm the proper growth and maturation of children’s personalities, as our Spanish Constitution states.” He concludes, “the expressions or manifestations of an individual cannot harm the rights of others.” Agreeing with him is lawyer José Domingo Monforte, who tells the same newspaper that the Suite Erótica presupposes “an intrusion into the ideological and educational freedom of parents as guardians of their children’s interests.” And in his opinion, too, the exhibit contravenes the principles of the Organic Law on Child Protection. Other lawyers, however, think otherwise, on the grounds that it is not pornography and that Miró’s scenes are not intended to arouse arousal.

Antoni Miró said he was surprised by the controversy. “My works,” he told the Europa Press agency, “represent the most normal scenes in the world. Most people consider them normal, and there are more opinions for them than against.” As for the fact that his works might harm children, Miró thinks this is an “excuse,” and that the works actually bother “some parents who are a bit backward. There are always ill-thinking people who cling to very strange and antediluvian ideas.” On the contrary, for Miró, his works could provide “a wonderful opportunity to talk to children about sexuality.” Without considering, the artist adds, that “they are works from two and a half thousand years ago, they are images that the Greeks painted on the pottery they used every day.” It is good that “we talk about art, that we discuss it, and that we see that there are many people who deal with this subject in a normal way, and that there are not many who want to maintain themselves in their ignorance. And it is good that people who go to the Marina can get mental as well as physical exercise.”

Also defending the artist is Valencia Mayor Joan Ribó, who also calls Italy into question. “In many museums in Italy and many other places it is possible to find such figures and nothing much ever happens, not to say ’nothing’ at all. For some people these works will certainly be objectionable, but for so many others it is a problem now totally outdated.” For now, however, no delays or suspensions are planned: the exhibition will regularly open on September 25 and run until December 30. Below are photos of some of the works that have stirred controversy.

Antoni Miró, Suite Erótica

Antoni Miró, Suite Erótica

Antoni Miró, Suite Erótica

Antoni Miró

Women masturbating and various coitus, Antoni Miró exhibition is a case in Spain: called for cancellation. The photos

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