Gallery removes painting of woman with pubic hair.

Not female pubic hair! The horror! THE HORROR.

A gallery in London has removed an oil painting that depicts a woman with a small strip of pubic hair, as it was deemed ‘too pornographic and disgusting’.

The painting, by artist Leena McCall, is titled “Portrait of Ms. Ruby May, Standing”. It was hanging in London’s Mall Galleries as part of an annual exhibition by the Society of Women’s Artists, but after two days, McCall was notified that the gallery had decided to remove it after receiving several complaints.

Here’s the painting in all its horrifying, lady-pube glory:

That’s it.

A little bit of pubic hair on a woman was just too confusing and frightening for some, so it had to go. And “won’t somebody think of the children!” etc etc.

Leena McCall nailed it when she said this:

“My work deals with female sexual and erotic identity. The fact that the gallery has deemed the work inappropriate and seen it necessary to have it removed from public display underlines the precise issue I am trying to address: how women choose to express their sexual identity beyond the male gaze.”

allowed

The gallery released a statement saying that they took into account the fact the painting was en route to the learning centre, so children would be walking past. But they then replaced McCall’s painting with another nude of woman. Presumedly with less offensive pubic hair.

We have officially reached the point where even paintings are getting brazilians.

McCall started the Twitter hashtag #eroticcensorship to give people a place to continue the discussion. Follow her on Twitter here and visit her website here.

CLICK THROUGH the gallery to see other censored artworks and advertisements.

Australian artist Bill Henson has routinely courted controversy with his photographs of nude children and teenagers. His 2007–2008 exhibition at the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Paddington was cancelled and his images seized by police with the intention of charging Henson and the gallery for "publishing an indecent article" under the Crimes Act. No charges were laid but the situation provoked an intense national debate on censorship.

Advertising giant McCann Lowe Belgium shocked the world with their “KKK vs Afro” print ad for Luxor Hot Tubs and Saunas. Released in August 2009, the print ad featured the slogan "extremely relaxing".

United Colors of Benetton Unhate Campaign featured digitally-altered lip-locking moments of powerful world and religious leaders. The UCB’S Unhate Foundation is a group that aims to create a uniting force that will stifle the global “culture of hatred” for good. The portrait of the Pope and the Imam was eventually removed by the Benetton group due to a torrent of opposition from Catholics, and an order from the Vatican itself.

A number of American Apparel ad's have been banned around the world for their overtly sexual images which were judged to demean women. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK received complaints from viewers that the models were shown in vulnerable positions and that the images were offensive and were subsequently banned.

Responsible for some of the most controversial adverts ever, Tom Fords 2004 Gucci campaign featured Carmen Cass with a the Gucci ‘G’ shaved into her pubic hair.

A ad South Korea from Agency Cheil Worldwide features a baby breastfeeding, with the mother's nipple partially exposed. Alongside the ad is Oreo's slogan: "Milk's favourite cookie." After the photo sparked a huge public backlash, Kraft Foods released a statement that this ad was never intended for public consumption.

Piss Christ is the name of a photograph taken by Andres Serrano in 1987. As the name implies, the photo is of a plastic crucifix submerged in Serrano’s urine. Serrano received death threats and lost grants as a result of the work.

Shot by Terry Richardson in 2007, this provocative Tom Ford campaign was criticised for its pornographic approach and was subsequently banned in several countries.

The conservation charity WWF and an ad agency admitted that a press campaign comparing the loss of life in the New York 9/11 attacks and the Asian tsunami "should never have been made". The ad was briefly posted online but pulled after huge public outcry.

Nigerian artist Ofili's depiction of an African Madonna surrounded by black bottoms and elephant poo was called 'anti-Catholic' and 'horrible' by New York's mayor at the time. So much so that Rudy Giuliani filed a lawsuit against the museum that sought to evict it from a lease it had held for over a century, in addition to slashing the funding it received from the city of New York.

Tags:

You won't believe who is getting brazilians now.

This Body Serum Is Our New Favourite For Plumping Dry Skin

8 Go-To Looks For Every Party This Holiday Season

Top Comments

This Body Serum Is Our New Favourite For Plumping Dry Skin

8 Go-To Looks For Every Party This Holiday Season