The Vatican went ballistic in 1990 when German artist Martin Kippenberger unveiled his 4 foot sculpture of a frog on a crucifix. Kippenberger claimed the sculpture was a self portrait of the artist in a state of angst. In 2008 Pope Benedict condemned the sculpture as blasphemous when it was exhibited at a gallery in Bolzano in Italy. What , I wonder, would Kippenberger (who died in 1997) have made of the child sex scandal currently embroiling the Catholic church?
Throughout his frenetic career, Kippenberger was constantly pushing the boundaries of taste and embarrassment. And he received much adverse criticism including indulging in "drunken cynicism". His response was the work below called "Martin, Into the Corner, You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself".
