U.S. Customs Bars Vatican Art – Including Michelangelo Illustrations
U.S. Customs authorities, it was reported on this day, had barred art work from the Vatican from entering the country, including portfolios with illustrations by the renowned painter Michelangelo that were reproductions from the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
A story in The New York Times noted that “hardly any pictures in the world are more famous” than the Sistine Chapel frescoes by Michelangelo.
Nonetheless, the depiction of male and female nudes made them offensive to U.S. Customs officials. After four days, and the resulting embarrassment to the U.S., Customs released the illustrations for entry into the country.
U.S. Customs also became heavily involved in prohibiting the importation of “dirty” or “indecent books from Europe. A number of books by prominent authors were published by Obelisk Press in Paris, which became Olympia Press, owned by Maurice Girodias in 1953. A number of books by Olympia Press were prohibited from being imported to the U.S. by U.S. Customs.
Read about the history of censorship by the Customs Bureau here
Read about the “erotic voyage” of The Olympia Press: John De St. Jorre, VEnus Bound: The Erotic Voyage of the Olympia Press (English ed., 1996)
Learn about the history of banned books in the U.S. here