In the square of Place Vendome Paris, France, contemporary artist Paul McCarthy unveiled his inflatable ‘Tree’ that resembles a sex toy in mid-October 2014. Although the inflatable sculpture was deflated by protesters of the piece, McCarthy did not re-inflate it but decided to take out his pain through his art exhibit in Paris. His plan for the exhibit is to allow the rooms to resemble dark tunnels and play music that instills fear.
French president Francois Hollande said that he accepts all work by artists regardless of what it looks like. If the French president can accept this sculpture as art, why can’t the general population? France always been a very expressive nation, accepting many things such as homosexuality and underage drinking, yet when it comes to this type of expression it is considered wrong and offensive. Even though the square that this sculpture was placed in was historical and meaning to some people, it is still considered vandalism of personal property when they deflated the sculpture.
When considering works by Michelangelo or Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, it is acceptable in French society to paint or sculpt those in the nude. Granted they didn’t necessarily have the sex toys, nudity was still considered beauty and still is beauty today. Unfortunately in America we focus more on modern pieces, involving teddy bears in the form of furniture or random splashes of paint on a canvas. Unfortunately a lot of the art in America is considered ‘pornographic’ and the term ‘nude’ causes tension. In France the term ‘nude’ means ‘naked’, which has been the best form of natural beauty since the beginning of time. Art that involves people in the nude is an expression that the artist attempts to share with the world.
There is no real reason why anyone should feel offended by McCarthy’s work considering that it does not affect them personally. If McCarthy put someone’s name in the ‘Tree’ then yeah I’d deflate that too! This wasn’t the case though, he had a right to inflate and place that sculpture in the square and he wasn’t breaking any laws by doing so. You don’t have to stand there and take the expression seriously if it doesn’t appeal to you. This piece of art that was deflated by people, most likely by the Catholic Church, ruined someone’s form of expression. Everyone has different ways to express their emotions, whether it is through poetry or music, but the most universal form of art was destroyed in public.
My point is that even though the ‘Tree’ made by McCarthy is technically a sex toy, it should not be dismissed by the public as an insult because that is not what it was. There are many different forms of art, and when a person’s work is vandalized that is completely unacceptable. Would you like it if someone walked into your office and ripped apart your exams? Didn’t think so.
