Boys at Bat
Date: 1989
Region: North America
Subject: Sexual/Gender Orientation
Medium: Painting
Artist: Eric Fischl
Confronting Bodies: Ziff Sistrunk, executive director of Chicago Sports Council
Dates of Action: July, 1989
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Description of Artwork: The painting was shown in the baseball art exhibit Diamonds Are Forever, sponsored by Worldwide Cultural Affairs and American Express Company at the Chicago Cultural Center. Boys at Bat depicts a picnic scene with a father and son. The father, completely nude except for a baseball cap, is swinging a baseball bat while the son stands aside holding a bat staring.
The Incident: Sistrunk alleged the painting promotes sexual molestation and homosexuality while using baseball as a front. He met with Cultural Center officials requesting the removal of the painting.
Results of Incident: The painting remained with the support of the Cultural Center and American Express.
Source: Committee For Artists' Rights Archive