October 17, 2014

Some French people object to that big sculpture in the Place Vendome...

... designed by an American and inspired by — they look so much alike — a Christmas tree and a sex toy.

The artist, Paul McCarthy, said:
« Bien sûr que cette œuvre est polémique, qu’elle joue sur l’ambiguïté entre un arbre de Noël et un plug : ce n’est ni une surprise ni un secret, poursuit-elle. Mais il n’y a aucune offense au public, et suffisamment d’ambiguïté pour ne pas troubler les enfants. Cette œuvre a d’ailleurs reçu toutes les autorisations nécessaires : de la Préfecture de police, de la Mairie de Paris et du ministère de la culture, en lien avec le Comité Vendôme, qui regroupe les commerçants de la place.. A quoi sert l’art si ce n’est de troubler, de poser des questions, de révéler des failles dans la société ? »

26 comments:

Clyde said...

Maybe they should have picked John Lemmon or George Hartison instead.

chuck said...

It's not easy being green.

Clyde said...

I think it belongs on the White House grounds.

tim maguire said...

Sure, it looks like a butt plug. But it looks like a lot of other things as well--the cap to a bannister, a bed knob, a pawn from a chess set. Those with dirty minds will see dirty things.

David said...

Hey, he issued a statement in French (which will get him points with the frenchies), and since it is ambiguous enough that it will not trouble children, it's ok. Of course the children will poser des questions to the adults but that's their problem.

And it's government approved.

I was pleased that I could read the passage in French, though that's a sure sign it was dumbed down. A few days ago I had a French couple as seat-row mates on an airline flight, and my French was near useless. As were my oral comprehension skills. But Ebola clearly has become a universal word.

I can say "arbre de noel" en Francais but I have no idea how to say butt plug.

YoungHegelian said...

Did I ever tell you the story about an acquaintance who got so drunk he mixed up his Christmas tree with his butt plug? A team of gastroenterologists had to work for hours to remove all the tree ornaments.

He tried to make the yuletide gay, but didn't have himself a merry little Christmas.

tim in vermont said...

No war on christmas though, oh no siree.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is ugly!

Known Unknown said...

I could really care about this, but ... France.

madAsHell said...

Sixty-nine years old, and he re-invents the butt plug.

I'm thinking he deserved to be slapped.

The Crack Emcee said...

Up your ass, Froggies,...

Rusty said...

Merde

Richard Dolan said...

A quoi sert l’art si ce n’est de troubler, de poser des questions, de révéler des failles dans la société?

Bien sur, en France, il faut epater la bourgousie. Plus ca change ....

Meade said...

Rusty said...
"Merde"

Hey now — watch those typos s'il vous plaît.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I heard great art was supposed to make you uncomfortable...

HoodlumDoodlum said...

"Anything's a sex toy if you're brave enough."

lemondog said...

It's not easy being green.

How 'bout brown?

ddh said...


On ne peut pas épeler banalité sans "anal".

Jeff said...

I'll bet whoever decided to commission this masterpiece and the other equally ridiculous works shown in the article wasn't spending their own money.

Drago said...

The Crack Emcee: "Up your ass, Froggies,..."

Crack still hasn't forgiven Charles Martel for his victory at Tours over Cracks "chosen" people.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

Something to amuse the Jolly Green Giant?

traditionalguy said...

If God wanted people to have a butt plug, He would have made us with a plug. That size butt plug looks like The Spanish Inquisition is in town.

Joe said...

The artist is a conman; sometimes I wish I had no ethics.

William said...

I always thought that the vibrator was the official national sex toy for France. Butt plugs are English.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what the "ambiguities" tag meant.

Carnifex said...

I just made an art in my toilet. I wonder how much I can get for it. Tomorrow I'll make more! The money will roll in. I could send some to Zero as a sign of respect! What could go wrong with this plan?!

It's a butt plug people! Anybody that would pay money for this doesn't deserve the money to start with.

Good news for Crack though...someone in Australia is trying to ban "Baa Baa Blacksheep" as racist, AND sexist. A threefer for the libs...banning speech thy don't like, fighting imaginary racism, and imaginary sexism. What could go wrong with this plan?

Ps.

I know there is real racism, and sexism in the world. For example, the over abundance of black people as opposed to whites in the NBA (let's not even mention the beaners or the chinks), also a Universities students are protesting the a transgendered (their term, not mine) person is not qualified to be the Diversity Officer, because she was once a woman, but now is a white man. Should'a got that skin dye job too I guess.