Free Republic

Artist responsible for "Piss Christ" guest of Pope in Vatican This week the Pope welcomed artists to the Sistierne Chapel, reminding them that true beauty inspires the desire for God, and renders glory to Him, for the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Art by Pope St. Paul VI.One of them was Andres Serrano. There is nothing beautiful about his work.He is notorious for "Piss Christ", a photo of a crucifix submerged in his own urine which was destroyed by protestors in 2012, only for the a restored/or replaced version to be sold at...

Until now the Pellicano wiretapping case has seemed the kind of down-and-dirty imbroglio that could only happen in Hollywood, where a private eye's underworld patois could impress movie people familiar with noir clichés, allured by real physical danger and accustomed to getting whatever they want. But confidential F.B.I. records show that the scandal's tentacles have extended beyond show-business figures to reach people prominent in the rarified worlds of fine art and classical music. Among the government's most important witnesses, the F.B.I. records suggest, are Adam D. Sender, a prominent collector of contemporary art and a wealthy hedge-fund manager..........hired Anthony Pellicano,...

A hedge fund manager testified Tuesday that indicted private eye Anthony Pellicano suggested that a film producer and one-time Nevada gubernatorial candidate could be murdered over an investment dispute. Adam Sender told jurors the idea came while he and Pellicano met and talked about Sender's lawsuit against Aaron Russo. Sender said he was told by Pellicano, "If I wanted to I could authorize him to have (Russo) murdered on the way back from Las Vegas, have someone follow him back, drive him off the road and bury his body somewhere in the desert." Sender said he did not approve of...