Dirty Pictures

Much attention was given to the Robert Mapplethorpe photographs that became the center of controversy when they were exhibited at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center in 1990, but less was known about Dennis Barrie, the museum director responsible for the exhibit. Barrie's obscenity trial and ...more

This account of the controversy over the exhibition in heartland America of Robert Mapplethorpe's controversial "The Perfect Moment" collection manages the difficult feat of airing both sides of the brouhaha (though clearly favoring one side by portraying the obscenity charges against the exhibit to be in part politically motivated) and exploring a personal angle to the controversy. In addition to presenting news clips of conservative politicians such as Jesse Helms and Patrick Buchanan using ...more