Texas Police Confiscate Sally Mann’s Photographs in Controversial Child Pornography Case — Blind Magazine

In the early part of January 2025, the Fort Worth Police Department confiscated numerous photographs by celebrated artist Sally Mann from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. This move came in response to a complaint asserting that Mann’s pictures, which portray her children in various states of undress, could be seen as child pornography.

The photographs at the center of the controversy were featured in the exhibition “Diaries of Home,” which commenced in mid-November 2024 and showcases works from artists including LaToya Ruby Frazier, Nan Goldin, Deana Lawson, Catherine Opie, and Carrie Mae Weems. Although the exhibition had been available for several weeks, scrutiny escalated following a December 23 article in The Dallas Express that questioned the suitability of Mann’s images. A journalist from the publication visited the exhibition and accused the museum of “promoting child porn,” igniting criticism of Mann and the institution. The online outlet displayed images of Mann’s work exhibited at the museum, showing a naked girl leaping on a table and a boy with his genitals visible and liquid dripping down his body.

In response to the confiscation, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth asserted that the artworks have been “widely published and displayed for over 30 years in prominent cultural institutions across the nation and around the globe.”

The National Coalition Against Censorship denounced the confiscation, stressing that categorizing these artworks as child sexual abuse material poses a “significant threat to the liberties of the millions of Americans who wish to document the development of their own children without the fear of governmental prosecution.”

This situation recalls earlier controversies related to Mann’s work, particularly her “Immediate Family” series from the 1980s and 1990s, which also encountered allegations of inappropriate content. Mann has persistently claimed that her children were active contributors to these images, describing them as “visually sophisticated, involved in setting the scene, in creating the intended effects for the images and in editing them.”

The ongoing investigation has generated a wider discussion about artistic freedom and censorship, with organizations like Artists at Risk Connection cautioning that such acts could lead to a “harmful chilling effect on cultural institutions nationwide.”

Presently, the confiscated photographs remain under investigation, and the museum has yet to announce any modifications to the “Diaries of Home” exhibition, which is planned to continue until February 2, 2025.

Artistic Freedom

Sally Mann’s art has consistently been a topic of both praise and dispute. Her “Immediate Family” series, released in 1992, showcases intimate black-and-white images of her three children, Emmett, Jessie, and Virginia, captured during various stages of their childhood. These pictures, taken at the family’s summer residence in Virginia, explore themes of childhood, identity, and the intricacies of family life.

Mann’s approach to photography is profoundly personal. She has expressed: “It has always been my belief to attempt to create art from the everyday and mundane…it never crossed my mind to leave home to create art.”

This guiding principle is clear in her work, in which the familiar environments of her home and family serve as a backdrop for investigating universal themes.

In her memoir, “Hold Still,” Mann contemplates the transient nature of existence and the function of photography in capturing fleeting experiences. She articulates: “As transient as our footprints were in the sand by the river, so too were those moments of childhood captured in the photographs. And so will be our family itself… What we aspire to preserve are these images, narrating our brief story.”

The recent confiscation of Mann’s photographs in Fort Worth has reignited debates regarding the limits of artistic expression and the necessity of censorship. Mann’s work encourages viewers to confront their own interpretations and biases. She has stated, “if it lacks ambiguity, don’t bother taking it. I cherish that aspect of photography – the deception of photography. It must possess some form of peculiarity, or it loses its interest for me.” This acceptance of ambiguity invites viewers to engage with her photographs on a deeper level, encouraging contemplation of the complexities of family, childhood, and the passage of time.

As the inquiry in Fort Worth persists, the art community observes closely, recognizing that the outcome may carry substantial ramifications for artistic freedom and the representation of intimate subjects in art. Sally Mann’s work, with its profound intimacy and striking beauty, remains a potent testament to the role of art in exploring the human condition. As she previously remarked, “photographs unveil doors into the past, but they also offer a glimpse into the future.”