Australian art magazine under fire for naked girl image

Art Monthly Australia published the shot, in which the girl’s body is mostly obscured by her legs, along with two other nude photographs of her in its July edition.

The magazine’s editor Maurice O’Riordan said the cover was chosen to “validate nudity and childhood as subjects for art” after police shut down a photography exhibition which featured naked adolescents in May.

After weeks of investigation, the exhibition by acclaimed photographer Bill Henson was allowed to proceed and no charges were laid against the artist, but the issue ignited fierce debate on the question of art and pornography.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who condemned the Henson exhibition, was among the first to criticize the Art Monthly cover, saying: “Frankly, I can’t stand this stuff.”

He was backed by opposition Liberal Party leader Brendan Nelson, who described the image as indefensible and a “two-fingered salute to the rest of society”.

Child protection activist Hetty Johnston said the photographs amounted to the “sexual exploitation of children” and called for a new laws to make it illegal to take a photo of a naked child for exhibition, sale or publication.

“We need laws to make it clear — the laws are flaky and the laws aren’t able to protect children,” she told Nine Network television.

“We need to put a line in the sand — because clearly some of those in the arts world can’t do that — and say this is where you don’t go, this is a no-go zone.”

But the girl pictured on the front cover, Olympia Nelson, said she was proud of the image taken by her mother, Melbourne photographer Polixeni Papapetrou, in 2003 and “really, really offended” by Rudd’s comments.

“I love the photo so much. It is one of my favorites, if not my favorite photo, my mum has ever taken of me and she has taken so many photos of me,” the 11-year-old told reporters.

“I think that the picture my mum took of me had nothing to do with being abused and I think nudity can be a part of art.”