New Banksy religious sculpture unveiled NEWS
British street artist Banksy has installed a new sculpture called Cardinal Sin, a vandalised bust of a priest in Liverpool.
Cardinal Sin, a bust of a priest with the fact sawn off and replaced by bathroom tiles, was unveiled at the Walker Art Gallery, ironically found sitting alongside 17th Century religious art.
The piece is designed as a response to the child abuse scandal in the Catholic church.
'I'm never sure who deserves to be put on a pedestal or crushed under one,' mused the anonymous artist in a statement.
'The statue? I guess you could call it a Christmas present. At this time of year it's easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity - the lies, the corruption, the abuse,' the street artist said.
Director of art galleries at National Museums Liverpool, Reyahn King, said the artist approached the gallery with the sculpture, specifying that it be shown amongst the period collection.
'The sculpture very clearly contains a message,' she said. 'When you look at it and see the tiles that have been applied to the sawn-off face, you immediately get the impression of those pixelated images of suspected criminals you see on screen or in a newspaper photograph.'
'We have always shown controversial art and have works of art that were considered very controversial in their time. It's part of an artistic tradition to show art that challenges people.' She added.
Cardinal Sin is displayed in a room with an altarpiece painted by the Spanish artist Murillo in 1673 for the Archbishop of Seville and Rubens' The Virgin and Child with St Elizabeth and the Child Baptist painting.
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