1989. A set of 4 newspaper clipplings pertaining to the scandalous cancellation of a planned restrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe's work at Corcoran under the pressure of ultra conservative senators Alfonse D’Amato and Jesse Helms. They spearheaded a campaign against federal funding of 'obscene art'. After initially denouncing the infamous Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ, Mapplethorpe's work was caught up in the ensuing campaign. Scary as it may sound this actually was followed by 'congressional legislation barring Federal funds for art that is deemed obscene' [NY Times, Dec. 19, 1989]. Public outcry followed the abrupt cancellation of the show leading to a number of artists boycotting the institution and to resignations of curators working at Corcoran. Eventually after six months of debate and controversy Dr. Christina Orr-Cahall, the director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art at the time, was forced to resign. These four clippings from the Dutch press document this turbulent and dark moment of art history in the late 20th century. They come from the archive Rob Jurka which was the first gallerist in Europe to exhibit Robert Mapplethorpe in 1979 and was responsible for the first catalogue of Mapplethorpe’s works.