By Scotty Dransfield
Several photographs by acclaimed Rockbridge County artist Sally Mann were seized by police from a Texas museum earlier this year, sparking renewed debate over censorship and the boundaries of artistic and familial expression.
The seizure, first reported regionally last week by the Roanoke- based Cardinal News online newspaper, occurred in January at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, where Mann’s work was featured in “Diaries of Home,” a group exhibition exploring family and domestic life. Fort Worth police removed four out of five prints from the gallery following complaints that the images, which depict Mann’s children nude, may constitute child pornography.
The photos in question are part of Mann’s 1992 collection “Immediate Family,” a body of work that has drawn both praise for its beauty, and criticism for its intimate portrayals of unclothed children. The photos have been exhibited widely for more than three decades, but still spark moral and legal debate in some circles.
According to the Cardinal News story, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, one of the officials who raised concerns, called the seized photos “deeply disturbing.” Police have not announced any charges or legal action against Mann or the museum. The images remain in custody pending investigation.
The museum has not commented publicly on the seizure, only confirming its details to The News-Gazette. Civil liberties organizations, including the ACLU of Texas and the National Coalition Against Censorship, have condemned the removal and called for the photos to be returned. In a joint statement, they said the action “raises serious First Amendment concerns” and called it “a dangerous escalation of law enforcement targeting of constitutionally protected artwork.”
Sally Mann’s representatives declined a request for comment for this article.
Mann, who was named “America’s Best Photographer” by Time magazine in 2001, has long drawn from her life in Rockbridge County as both subject and setting. Her work has helped put the region on the international art map, blending deep Southern landscapes with personal themes of childhood, mortality, and memory.
