León Ferrari

La civilización occidental y cristiana

Model. Wooden aeroplane and plaster figure, 55 × 21 × 13.5 cm

2018 (original 1965)

Incident:

1965. Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires.

2004. León Ferrari, retrospectiva 1954-2004 exhibition, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires.
2020. La bondadosa crueldad exhibition, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid.

In 2004, a retrospective of the artist in Buenos Aires caused protests, official complaints, physical assaults, bomb threats and the precautionary closure of the exhibition. The then archbishop and current Pope of Rome labelled the exhibition blasphemous. The artist’s work has been censored on other occasions.

Primera carta al Papa 

Screen printing on paper, 48,3 × 35 cm

2008

Incident:

1997. Buenos Aires.

Throughout his career, the artist denounced the Catholic Church for its injustices, particularly the suffering caused by the idea of hell. In 1997, he wrote a letter to the Pope, on behalf of the association CIHABAPAI (Club of Impious Heretics Apostates Blasphemous Atheists Pagans Agnostics and Infidels, in training), requesting the abolition of the Last Judgement.  

Biography:

León Ferrari (Buenos Aires, 1920 - Buenos Aires, 2013) was a self-taught conceptual artist of international fame. His work was critical of abuses of power and intolerance in society. Among other awards, in 2007, he received the Golden Lion at the 52nd Biennale di Venezia for his work La civilización occidental y cristiana. In 2009, MoMA held a retrospective of his work.