At the beginning of August ARTinvestment.ru reported, that an official from the Italian city of Bolzano (Botsen) has declared a hunger strike in protest against the sculpture of Martin Kippenbergera (Martin Kippenberger, 1953-1997) . The work is called «Foot Forward» and represents the crucifixion frog in one foot where the beer mug and the other - an egg. This sculpture is «self»: where Kippenberger treated for alcohol and drug dependency, he felt «crucified frog».

Pal Franz (Franz Pahl), the same officer, who announced a hunger strike, said that the work Kippenbergera, exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art Museion, is a mockery of the cross. He believed that the sculpture is offensive to the religious feelings of the inhabitants of Bolzano, 99 percent of the population - Christians. Particularly blasphemous it is the fact that the product exhibited during the visit of the Pope. It is known that Benedict XVI spent summer holidays in the town of Bressanone, near Bolzano. According to Pál, pontifex wrote him a letter, which criticized the work Kippenbergera. According to Benedict XVI, the sculpture is offensive to religious feelings of citizens, for whom the cross - a symbol of salvation and love of God. The Pope also discussed the work of Bressanone Bishop Wilhelm Egger (Wilhelm Egger).

Pal started his hunger strike in late July and lasted for eight days before being hospitalized. His little crusade against modern art did not bring any result: the Museum of Modern Art firmly decided not to remove the sculpture. True, they did put it in a less prominent place (previously it was just inside the entrance, welcoming visitors). Director of the Museum Dizerens Corinne (Corinne Dieserens) stated that beginning in May to look at the frog had 26 thousand people. She said that Pal made a scandal only to make «type glasses» before the elections to be held in October.

August 26, members of the government of South Tyrol, where Bolzano, said that next Tuesday are going to meet with representatives of the museum and ask them to immediately remove the sculpture. Dizerens said that it did not remove before 21 September, when the exhibition.

Bolzano Museum of Modern Art is not the first time becomes an object of public censure. In 2006, the museum has exhibited installation scandalous artists from Rome Chiara Eleonora (Eleonora Chiari) and Sarah Goldshmid (Sara Goldschmied), acting under a common pseudonym goldiechiari. The work was a toilet in which the water came the sound of the Italian national anthem. For this bold escapades representatives of the museum had to respond in court.

Sources: artinfo.com , artinvestment.ru