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The Cultural Diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) recently cancelled its subscription to Art Monthly magazine, for “budgetary reasons”.
This occurred shortly after controversy erupted over the magazine’s use as the cover image, of a work by artist Polixeni Papapetrou depicting her naked 6 year old daughter as Olympia, a reference to a work by 19th century writer and photographer Lewis Carroll.
The three lead articles in the July edition of Art Monthly were written by respected art academics and critics and canvassed issues surrounding recent censorship of the work of established Australian artist Bill Henson.
DFAT said that it also had cancelled a subscription to one other undisclosed art magazine for the same reasons. The financial contribution to Art Monthly was about $8,000 a year. Things must be financially pretty tough in there!
