Sensation: Young British Artists
from the Saatchi Collection
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn, NY

"Sensation" certainly lived up to its name, creating controversy along the way from its debut at the Royal Academy of Arts, London to Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof. Of course, things heated up considerably by the court case in New York involving the Brooklyn Museum, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani & the Catholic League over the now infamous "The Holy Virgin Mary" painting with elephant dung by artist Chris Ofili. Besides this particular painting that garnered much of the Mayor's wrath, the exhibition, showcasing a wide spectrum of British artists from the Saatchi Collection, had its share of alternately disturbing (to some) and amusing (to others) moments -- not the least of which was the Ofili Virgin ensconced behind bullet-proof plastic complete with its own security guard. The whole affair harkened back to Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" and other scandals past. Meanwhile, for those needing some respite, the works of the 19th century artist, Eastman Johnson held court below. "Sensation" was shown at the Brooklyn Museum from October 2, 1999-January 9, 2000.

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