Michelangelo's David
Date: 2001
Region: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Sculpture
Artist: Michelangelo
Confronting Bodies: Jim Drumm, City Manager, and local businessmen
Dates of Action: April 2001
Location: Fountain and Falls shop, Lake Alfred, Orlando, FL
Description of Artwork: A 5-foot, 500-pound concrete copy of the anatomically correct male figure
The Incident: The sculpture was put in front of the Fountain and Falls shop. “I didn’t even know it was art,” said Jeanne Johnson, the owner of a nearby barber-shop, who was among those who complained to City Hall about the sculpture. “To me, it’s just a naked man standing at the side of the road.” Such complaints prompted Jim Drumm, City Manager, to research the city’s code and statutes to see if the sculpture violated obscenity laws.
Results of Incident: Owners of the store were asked to put a cloth around the statue, which then attracted more attention than the nude one. Tourists were posing with the statue. Chuck Cole, shop manager, said he would replace the plain white cloth with a leopard-print bandanna.
Source: www.orlandosentinel.com, NCAC
