When an Australian court ruled that a museum exhibit could not be restricted to women, its curator decided to move the paintings to the women’s restroom.
The curator, Kirsha Kaechele, inaugurated the exhibition “Ladies’ lounge” at the Museum of New and Old Art in Hobart, the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania, as a space where women could “indulge in decadent snacks, fine drinks and other feminine pleasures.”
But the installation was farm in the spring, after the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found it discriminatory against men. Ms Kaechele said at the time that discrimination was part of the pointa nod to male-only spaces in Australia.
After the ruling, Ms. Kaechele decided to get creative and move parts of the installation – including several Picasso paintings – to the museum’s women’s restroom. The museum, which belongs to her husband, only had unisex bathrooms before this week, she said on social media. Ms Kaechele said she planned to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Tasmania.
The bathroom art appears to include a painting of Series of works by Picasso inspired by Manet’s “Déjeuner sur l’herbe”. There is also a drawing of a naked woman hanging over the toilet.
‘I just didn’t know what to do with all these Picassos’ from original exhibition, Ms. Kaechele wrote on InstagramIn the same message, she promised to reopen the “Ladies Lounge” facility under a different pretext, consistent with Australian anti-discrimination law.
The museum could not immediately be reached for comment.
The ‘Ladies Lounge’, which opened in 2020, was a nod to Australia’s history of gender discrimination. Until 1965, women were banned from public bars and, even then, they were often relegated to what is known as the ladies’ lounge.
The exhibition hall was surrounded by green silk curtains and guarded by a guard who welcomed women but refused entry to men. Decorated with a black mink rug, green velvet furniture and a Venetian Murano chandelier, the room featured antiques, precious jewelry belonging to Ms. Kaechele and her family and the Picassos that now hang in the dining room. bath.
But when Jason Lau, a museum visitor, was refused entry in April 2023, He sued and said he was discriminated against based on gender. Ms Kaechele brought 25 women with her to the court hearing, all of whom wore a uniform of navy blue suits and pearls.
In an interview with The New York Times in March, Ms. Kaechele said she recognized that Mr. Lau had faced discrimination, but that his experience was central to her work.
“Given the conceptual power of the artwork and the value of the artwork it contains, its harm is real,” she said. “He is lost.”
She added: “I’m not sorry.”
In April, the court gave the museum 28 days to close, remove or reform the exhibit – or start admitting men. In a blog post On the museum’s website in May, Ms. Kaechele said she was considering options for changes to the exhibit that would bring it into compliance, including turning it into a church.
The museum is no stranger to waterfalls. This month he hosted a series of private listening events where visitors could sample a selection of a rare Wu-Tang Clan album that was not intended to be heard by the public until 2103.
