Tate Modern Withdraws Richard Prince (Update #2)

The Guardian reported last Wednesday that Richard Prince’s re-photograph of 10-year-old Brooke Shields, Spiritual America, has been removed from their exhibition, Pop Life, Art in a Material World.

The photograph was removed after Scotland Yard became concerned that the photograph may have violated UK’s obscenity laws. There couldn’t be a worse moment to fight for the exhibition of Prince’s post-modern masterpiece given the recent and tragic news of a child sex-abuse ring here in the UK.

UPDATE: October 3, 2009

The Richard Prince installation has been taken down and the room is cordoned off. We asked Tate Modern staff and information services staff if the Tate would be re-installing Prince’s work and if so, when. They declined to give any information. The bookstore has also removed all Pop Life exhibition catalogs. No information was given as to the catalogs re-release date.

UPDATE: October 14, 2009

According to the AP, the Tate Modern has replaced Prince’s photo of 10-yr-old Brooke Shields and replaced it with a photo of Shields in a bikini taken in 2005.  Who says we all can’t get along?

Tags: brooke shields, Pop Life, Richard Prince, Spiritual America, Tate Modern