Bill Henson: my impressions

The speech last night was excellent. Listening to Bill Henson discuss various cultural references, I looked around at a variety of young, blank, faces and I felt how true some of his statements were. we do need to expose our children to art, to history, to culture. art is the expression of history and the cumulation of our civilization. I was struck by Henson’s self effacing nature. watching him you would never know that someone so apparently shy was embroiled in such a shocking controversy that rocked the art world two years ago. It was interesting how little he cited his own work, preferring to discuss literature, composers and classic painters.

Bill Henson responds live in Melbourne

Our zeal to protect innocence should not come at the cost of violating artistic experience.   If we believe that art is a high form of education, that its basis is moral and its goal truth, then we should resist the impulse that would deny the artist the right to deal with what may sometimes be ambiguous, complex and disturbing.

How Brooke Shields differs from Bill Henson

Bill Henson and Richard Prince Comparison Comparisons are already being made and lines are already being drawn between the Brooke Shields photograph at the Tate and the Bill Henson debacle last year. conservatives and media alike will be debating the differences are between the different cases and trying to make them both fit the same…

Bill Henson Speaks out about teen nude controversy

One of the Controversial works by Bill Henson Photograph from the Age The Henson controversy has heated up again with the first interview and official statement given by the artist since the whole mess began back in May. …”If you believe you’ve done nothing wrong, that what you’ve done is right, you can draw a…

Bill Henson’s Nudes are officially not Porn

One of the Controversial works by Bill Henson Photograph from the Age A spokeswoman for Australia’s Classification Board, speaking on condition of anonymity under board policy, said six photos had been referred to them…. as this notion has now been rather spectacularly thrown out, I doubt there is a legal leg to stand on. The newspapers are already reporting it as a victory and that the cases will be shut down…. more than that, it has raised some ugly feelings towards art in general and nudes specifically, it has seen galleries taking works off their walls for fear of persecution and to people being afraid to express their opinions.

From the mouths of Babes – Bill Henson from the Children’s perspective

Another of the Nude Teen Pictures under debate by Bill Henson .A local paper, from Bill Henson’s old stomping ground Northcote, took a different tack in this case by interviewing local children and seeking their opinions on the controversy…. I remember those days all too clearly and I think that it’s important that no matter whether you agree with the works or not, whether you accept the models choices to pose, take a moment to appreciate the bravery it took and the strength they must need to stand tall in the face of this controversy…. And while the students had concerns about the impact of the work and the ability of young people to give consent, they also defended the right to freedom of expression in art. “I think you should look at art for being art and stop focusing on the negatives,” Mutinta said.

Community Support for Bill Henson’s Nudes

The seizure of the photographs, and the possible prosecution of Mr Henson, the Rosyln Oxley9 Gallery or the parents of Henson’s subjects, takes up valuable police and court time that would be much better spent pursuing those who actually do abuse children. [From Open letter in support of Bill Henson – National – theage.com.au ] Around the country, while some galleries are cravenly pulling their Henson pieces out of their collections and off the walls other galleries are standing firm and standing up for freedom of artistic expression…. Mr Savill, like many of his art industry colleagues, was appalled when police last week confiscated photographs by Henson – one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists – and decided to hang the picture beside an Arthur Boyd nude, “to remind people that nudes have inspired artists for centuries”.

Bill Henson’s Artworks are Innocent

One of the Controversial works by Bill Henson Photograph from the Age Officers raided the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, in Paddington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, just before the exhibition was due to open on Thursday night…. The raid, and the prospect of an artist facing criminal charges, has reignited the debate about what constitutes art. [From Law Society backs nude child pics artist – Breaking News – National – Breaking News ] I have been so angry about this whole mess that I haven’t been able to write coherently till now…. the police raid and seizures, the statement by Prime minister Kevin Rudd that these works are ‘revolting’, the galleries that are also pulling Bill Henson’s works from their collections or the constant newspaper articles referring to these artworks, by one of Australia’s premier artists, as ‘”art”‘.

Should henson be allowed to scout in Schools?

Another of the Nude Teen Pictures under debate by Bill Henson. Picture by the Daily Telegraph The recent interview and book about Bill Henson and the controversy in May has brought to light how Henson goes about searching for his models and has, in turn, caused it’s own furor of media activity. It appears that…

My Top 20 Search Terms

I think it’s pretty interesting to see that nude celebrities are still all the rage, and that apparently my coverage of Bill Henson has really made a difference in the world of blogging – or something. and yes folks – I do actually rate on my blog- see?