Of all the Smithsonians, my favorites are the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of Health and Medicine (or as I call it, the Museum of Medical Oddities). The NPG was closed for something like five years while undergoing a costly renovation. But it reopened a few years back and is back in the news with an exhibit (“Hide/Seek”) exploring sexual identity in art.
It turns out to have some rather provocative pieces. There’s the video with a segment depicting ants eating a crucifix. The artist behind the video, who died of complications from AIDS, was attempting to make a statement against religious figures. Some people viewed it as blasphemous and inappropriate for a government-run museum. The exhibit in general deals with homoeroticism, which is unsurprising. It also apparently deals with sadomasochism (such as a portrait of a man eating himself), incest (two naked brothers making out), and other themes that aren’t necessarily family friendly. I haven’t seen it and since I do all my museum visiting these days with two young children, I won’t be.
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