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Article: Nude or naked: Bill Henson's world.(Art)(Critical essay)
- Article from:
- Quadrant
- Article date:
- September 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Quadrant Magazine Company, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AS THE AUSTRALIAN art world is a little chafing dish in a world of bubbling cauldrons, it seemed improbable that an artist s work could become fodder for broadsheets and tabloids, radio and television--for weeks on end. Those who knew of the photographer Bill Henson's dark-toned and occasionally disquieting works were more or less confined to that chafing dish. However, in May 2008, Hetty Johnston, the executive director of Bravehearts, an organisation dedicated to combating child sexual assault, walked into a Paddington art gallery and then reported what she saw to the police. In fact, she suggested they prosecute the photographer--and the gallery. If only those sterling ...