New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art refused to remove a 1938 painting by Polish-French artist Balthus after receiving a petition.
Entitled ‘Therese Dreaming’, the painting depicts a girl in a red dress lifting her left foot on the chair and unwittingly showing her underwear. She had both hands on her head, and looked to be dreaming.
An online petition has since collected thousands of signatures, urging the museum to remove the painting in view of the recent spate of sexual assaults.
But a museum spokesman said visual art is open to discussion, and creative expression should be encouraged and respected.
