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A S H C R O F T
v s. A R T
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In
1933 the U.S. government commissioned a number of sculptures
from the esteemed artist Carl
Paul Jennewein (1890-1978). Mr. Jennewein received $7,275
to create fifty-seven sculptures for the United States Department
of Justice headquarters, then under construction in Washington,
D.C. Two of the works by Jennewein were larger than life, Art
Deco style, cast aluminum statues titled Spirit of Justice
and Majesty of Justice.
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The
U.S. Justice Department
Covers Nude Statues
Reprinted from the AP, Jan. 28th 2002.
WASHINGTON
(AP) - It's a Washington cover-up of a different sort. The Justice
Department spent $8,000 on blue drapes to hide two giant, partially
nude statues in the Great Hall of the agency's headquarters,
said spokesman Shane Hix. The Great Hall is an ornate, two-story
room that the department uses for ceremonies and special speeches.
The drapes were occasionally hung in front of the aluminum Art
Deco statues before formal events, "for aesthetics,"
Hix said. The department used to rent the drapes, but has now
purchased them and left them hanging.
ABC
News reported that Attorney General John Ashcroft, a religious
and conservative man, ordered the statues covered because he
didn't like being photographed in front of them. Since the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, Ashcroft has been photographed several
times in front of the female statue that represents the Spirit
of Justice. The 10- to 12-foot statue has its arms raised
and a toga draped over its body, but a single breast is completely
exposed.
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The
other statue, of a man with a cloth covering his midsection,
is called the Majesty of Law. Hix said the Justice
Department bought the drapes to avoid having to rent them
every time the agency had a formal event. He also said Ashcroft
was not involved in the decision. "The attorney general
was not even aware of the situation," he said. "Obviously,
he has more important things to do."
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UPDATE:
After being censored for 3/12 years under Atty. Gen. Ashcroft,
the drapes covering Carl Paul Jennewein's sculptures would
finally be removed. Mr. Ashcroft resigned in Nov. 2004 after
George W. Bush's re-election. President Bush's new Atty. Gen.,
Alberto R. Gonzales, removed
the blue drapes in June of 2005.
On
Jan.17, 2014, President Obama gave a speech
in front of Jennewein's
famous statues at the Department of Justice in Washington,
D.C., except that the "arts friendly" Obama covered
the Art Deco statues with the same drapes used by Atty.
Gen. Ashcroft! So
much for Hope and Change.
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