A Sensation--But Is It Art?

• Position: New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani attempts to halt an 'offensive' art exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art - Brief Article

An art exhibit featuring works such as dead animals sliced into sections and suspended in tanks of formaldehyde, and a portrait of the Virgin Mary decorated with elephant dung and pornographic cutouts, has thrown America's art capital into a cultural war over art and censorship.

New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani attacked the exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art as "sick stuff" and offensive to Catholics in particular. Charging that the museum had no right to use taxpayer dollars to display offensive art, the mayor revoked the museum's funding and filed suit to take over the museum. In return, the museum sued the city, arguing that Giuliani had infringed on its First Amendment right to exhibit the works (see Opinion, page...