Anish Kapoor's Instagram account has posted images of the vandalism (via @dirty_corner)

Anish Kapoor’s Instagram account has posted images of the vandalism (via @dirty_corner)

Anish Kapoor’s “Dirty Corner” (2011–15) sculpture in the gardens of Palace of Versailles has been vandalized again but this time with offensive words, including anti-Semitic slurs. The words in white paint were discovered on Sunday, September 6. The central opening of 200-foot (60 meter) long and 33-foot (10 meter) high steel and rock sculpture represents the “Queen’s Vagina,” according to the artist, and it was painted with the phrases “The second rape of the French nation by Jewish activities…” and “Shame Dishonor Betrayal Satanism.” Other phrases found elsewhere on the art works included “SS blood sacrifice,” “Queen sacrificed, twice insulted,” and “Christ is king in Versailles.”

In an exclusive interview with France’s Le Figaro newspaper, the artist that he will keep the slurs in order to remind people of the anti-Semitism we’d rather forget. “This is a violent attack against the human spirit and culture,” he said.

The French Minister of Culture, Fleur Pellerin, visited the damaged art works and tweeted that it there was “unspeakable degradation and hate messages” on the work, and “The stupidity and violence against culture.”

French President François Hollande also tweeted a message of solidarity with the artist and said that the “work has been degraded and covered with hateful and anti-Semitic inscriptions.”

In June, the sculpture was splashed with yellow paint, which was immediately cleaned. The sculpture is scheduled to stay on display until November.

Hrag Vartanian is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic.

4 replies on “Anish Kapoor’s Versailles Sculpture Vandalized With Anti-Semitic Slurs”

        1. you shame yourself and you shame us all when you let the scum that did this off the hook so you can slur muslims.

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