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Controversial Australian artist's model scouting at school sparks outrage

07.10.2008 12:04 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

Australian artist Bill Henson, whose portraits of naked children triggered a police investigation, is embroiled in a new controversy with the publication of a book that reveals the artist was allowed to look for child models at a primary school.

Police shut down an exhibition of Henson's in May after complaints that the images were pornographic. Many artists, including actress Cate Blanchett, came to his defence.

In the end, prosecutors said there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction and returned 20 seized works.

'I think parents would be revolted and horrified if this were true.'—Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Now a book by journalist David Marr has stirred up the controversy again. The Henson Case says a school principal in Melbourne allowed the artist to wander the playground of a school during the lunch hour to look for models.

The revelation has prompted an investigation into the school visit by the state government of Victoria.

The artist told Marr that he was accompanied by the principal of the school at all times and did not directly approach the children during last year's visit.

In the book, Marr says Henson became interested in two children at the school, a boy and a girl. Parents of the pair were asked for permission for the children to be photographed. The boy's parents agreed and he went on to model for Henson.

The boy, according to Henson, was never photographed nude. His photo was not in the 20 that were seized.

A betrayal of trust

Nevertheless, news of Henson's school visit has reignited indignation over the artist.

"I think parents would be revolted and horrified if this were true," said Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

"People shouldn't be on school grounds unless they're there for a legitimate purpose associated with the education of Australian young people," said federal Education Minister Julia Gillard on Channel 9 television.

Other politicians have called the principal's action a betrayal of trust.

A spokeswoman for the artist says he has no comment to make about the matter.

The head of the Victorian Principals Association, which governs the state where Melbourne is located, has said the incident was unfortunate.

"I think that what's happened here is something that seemingly is relatively low level and most definitely innocent," Fred Ackerman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"I think some parents would be viewing this as a breach, perhaps a relatively small breach, but a breach of that duty of care that the school owes their children."

Henson, a photographer who has shown works in the Guggenheim Museum, the Paris National Library and the Venice Biennale, has called his series of adolescent photographs "moments of transition and metamorphoses."

With files from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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