Museum of banned works of art opens in Barcelona, ​​featuring paintings and sculptures that ‘have been offensive or censored’

The works of art on display in this museum have a history of controversy.

The Museu de l’Art Ban – translated to the ‘Museum of Forbidden Art’ – brings together 42 works of art that at some point were ‘attacked, denounced, covered up or withdrawn from circulation’ for social or religious reasons.

The museum, which opened last week in the heart of Barcelona, ​​is described as the first of its kind, with a statement noting that it “plays with the concept of censorship and tries to connect with the visitor.”

Among the artworks – all of which are said to have caused ‘offence’ or been ‘censored’ at some point – are a sculpture of Ronald McDonald hanging from a crucifix, an installation of prayer mats decorated with sequined stilettos and a nude image of Donald Trump.

Tatxo Benet, a Catalan journalist and businessman, began collecting the art that fills the museum in 2018, acquiring more than 200 controversial pieces over the next five years.

The museum is housed in a historic building in the Eixample district of Barcelona. On the right you see the installation work Western Christian Civilization by artist León Ferrari

The collection includes works by renowned artists such as Francisco de Goya, Gustav Klimt, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso, as well as contemporary artists such as Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Amina Benbouchta and Charo Corrales.

It includes a wide range of works of art – paintings, sculptures, engravings, photographs, installations and audiovisual pieces – created largely in the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century.

There are works by artists from the US, Europe, Africa and Asia, many of which provide religious and socio-political commentary.

Some notable pieces in the museum, which is housed in a historic building in Barcelona’s Eixample district, include Andrés Serrano’s Immersion (P*** Christ), a 1987 photograph depicting a small plastic crucifix placed in a glass tank containing the artist’s urine is immersed.

The red-tinted photo has sparked controversy for more than two decades, with many religious critics calling the photo blasphemous.

Above is artist Andrés Serrano’s Immersion (P*** Christ), a 1987 photograph depicting a small plastic crucifix immersed in a glass tank of the artist’s urine

Many of the works criticize famous politicians, such as Eugenio Merino’s portrait of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (pictured) in a Coca-Cola refrigerator. It’s called Always Franco

Silence Rouge et Bleu by artist Zoulikha Bouabdella consists of prayer mats decorated with sequin stilettos

The collection includes works by renowned artists such as Francisco de Goya, Gustav Klimt, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso, as well as contemporary artists such as Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Amina Benbouchta and Charo Corrales

Tatxo Benet, a Catalan journalist and businessman, started the collection in 2018

Other works condemned on the grounds of religion include León Ferrari’s 1965 installation ‘Western and Christian Civilization’, which depicts an almost life-size Christ being crucified on an American fighter jet.

Many works criticize famous politicians, such as Illma Gore’s unflattering depiction of Donald Trump with a micro-sized penis in her ‘Make America Great Again’ painting or Eugenio Merino’s depiction of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in a Coca-Cola -refrigerator.

Also on view is Fabián Cháirez’s depiction of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, in which he is painted to appear nude except for a pink sombrero and black stilettos, on horseback.

Benet said: ‘Although some of these pieces may cause discomfort, respecting what deviates from our values ​​is the first step towards greater freedom and this is the main purpose of the collection.’

Entrance to the museum costs €12 (£10/$13). Visit museuartprohibit.org.