In early January 2025, the Fort Worth Police Department seized several photographs by renowned artist Sally Mann from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. This action followed a complaint alleging that Mann’s images, which depict her children in various states of undress, could be construed as child pornography.
The photographs in question were part of the exhibition “Diaries of Home,” which opened in mid-November 2024 and features works by artists such as LaToya Ruby Frazier, Nan Goldin, Deana Lawson, Catherine Opie, and Carrie Mae Weems. Although the exhibition had been on display for several weeks, scrutiny intensified after a December 23 article in The Dallas Express questioned the appropriateness of Mann’s images. A reporter from the newspaper visited the exhibit and accused the museum of “promoting child porn”, and authorities began attacking Mann and the museum. The online newspaper shared photos of Mann’s work displayed at the museum that show a naked girl jumping on a table and a boy with his genitals exposed and liquid running down his body.
In response to the seizure, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth stated that the artworks have been “widely published and exhibited for more than 30 years in leading cultural institutions across the country and around the world.”
The National Coalition Against Censorship condemned the seizure, emphasizing that labeling these works as child sexual abuse material is “deeply dangerous to the freedom of the millions of Americans who wish to document the growth of their own children without the threat of government prosecution.”
This incident echoes past controversies surrounding Mann’s work, particularly her “Immediate Family” series from the 1980s and 1990s, which also faced allegations of inappropriate content. Mann has consistently maintained that her children were active participants in the creation of these images, describing them as “visually sophisticated, involved in setting the scene, in producing the desired effects for the images and in editing them.”
The current investigation has sparked a broader debate about artistic freedom and censorship, with organizations like Artists at Risk Connection warning that such actions could lead to a “detrimental chilling effect on cultural institutions nationwide.”
As of now, the seized photographs remain under investigation, and the museum has not announced any changes to the “Diaries of Home” exhibition, which is scheduled to run until February 2, 2025.
Artistic freedom
Sally Mann’s work has long been a subject of both acclaim and controversy. Her “Immediate Family” series, published in 1992, features intimate black-and-white photographs of her three children, Emmett, Jessie, and Virginia, captured in various stages of their childhood. These images, taken at the family’s summer home in Virginia, delve into themes of childhood, identity, and the complexities of family life.
Mann’s approach to photography is deeply personal. She has stated: “It’s always been my philosophy to try to make art out of the everyday and ordinary…it never occurred to me to leave home to make art.”
This philosophy is evident in her work, where the familiar settings of her home and family become the canvas for exploring universal themes.
In her memoir, “Hold Still,” Mann reflects on the ephemeral nature of life and the role of photography in capturing fleeting moments. She writes: “As ephemeral as our footprints were in the sand along the river, so also were those moments of childhood caught in the photographs. And so will be our family itself… What we hope will remain are these pictures, telling our brief story.”
The recent seizure of Mann’s photographs in Fort Worth has reignited discussions about the boundaries of artistic expression and the role of censorship. Though, Mann’s work challenges viewers to confront their own perceptions and biases. She has said, “if it doesn’t have ambiguity, don’t bother to take it. I love that, that aspect of photography – the mendacity of photography. It’s got to have some kind of peculiarity in it, or it’s not interesting to me.” This embrace of ambiguity invites viewers to engage with her photographs on a deeper level, prompting reflection on the complexities of family, childhood, and the passage of time.
As the investigation in Fort Worth continues, the art community watches closely, aware that the outcome could have significant implications for artistic freedom and the depiction of intimate subjects in art. Sally Mann’s work, with its profound intimacy and extreme beauty, remains a powerful testament to the role of art in exploring the human experience. As she once remarked, “photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future.”
