The often politically-charged works of Ed and Nancy Kienholz have brought on their share of controversy – whether depicting an African-American man brutally attacked by a pack of white men in “Five Car Stud,” channelling Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district in “The Hoerengracht,” or portraying a parade of political figures and military officials exacting their dominance in “Ozymandias Parade.”
But it’s the Kienholz work featuring a stuffed children’s toy that has sparked a recent circuit of heated debates. A few months ago, the Portland Art Museum installed “The Bear Chair,” which the couple created in 1991. The work centers around a teddy bear propped on a chair set against a vanity dresser; the bear gazes at its reflection while sexually defiling a young girl trapped under the chair’s seat. A note on the dresser reads: “If you ever tell, I’ll hurt your mama real, real bad.”
Following the installation, a concerned parent voiced her vehement disapproval of the installation at PAM., and posted this on the museum’s Facebook page:
Disgusted, I truly didn’t expect to be revolted at the Portland Art Museum, but I walked around a corner where there were two young girls looking sick. They said that is disturbing. I turned to see what they were talking about. The exhibit was a little girl tied up under a chair with a red light between her legs, a bear standing over the chair with a human penis hanging out. The little girl was covered in semen and the bear had scratched in the desk “ if you tell anyone I will hurt your mommy! This is in no way art except to the pedophile who probably went into the bathroom and got his rocks off. i felt like I was kicked in the stomach. There were a lot of children that should never see it. The unfortunate thing is one in 5 children are abused on a daily basis. I have personally dealt with this, talk about post traumatic stress. The curator that allowed the bear chair should be removed.
In response, the Portland Art Museum released this statement:
Edward Kienholz (1927 – 1994) was an important American installation artist and sculptor whose work explores contemporary life. Working with his wife, Nancy Reddin Kienholz, his assemblages, including The Bear Chair, of found objects are impactful and often brutally disturbing—confronting the viewer with questions about humanity and the inhumanity of modern society. They believed in art’s responsibility to help us grapple with difficulties of life and contemporary problems.
The Bear Chair has been exhibited in important museums and galleries around the world including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, United Kingdom; Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Australia; among others.
This work, on loan from a private collection through August 2013, is purposefully unsettling to look at as it explores a terrible aspect of contemporary life—the physical abuse and sexual exploitation of children.
Art challenges us and helps us to think critically about the issues of the day. Art reflects an artist’s response to the world—both beautiful and ugly. The Portland Art Museum is founded on the value of presenting important works of art and engaging the community in dialogue about these works from throughout time and around the world.
Freedom of expression is essential to the health and welfare of our communities and our nation. Discouraging the exchange of ideas, by not exhibiting important objects undermines the principles of freedom of expression on which our nation was founded.
The Museum is committed to the dissemination and diffusion of knowledge and will not be pressured to change its programming. We will post signs cautioning visitors to mature themes. There is an orange warning sign at the entrance to the gallery in which The Bear Chair is exhibited to alert our visitors.
A barrage of discourse has ensued ranging from distressed parents, victims of sexual assault and art advocates. Read more commentary about "The Bear Chair” on The Oregonian and Portland station KATU’s website.
Keep posted on our blog – we’ll be closely following the controversy as it continues to unfold.