Banco Blanco (White Bench)
Date: 1995
Region: North America
Subject: Nudity
Medium: Photography
Artist: Oscar Lozoya
Confronting Bodies: New Mexico State Fair supervisor, and fair attendees
Date of Action: 1995
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Description of Artwork: The photograph Banco Blanco (White Bench) shows a nude woman wearing only a white scarf and white sunglasses sitting on a bench with only her breasts exposed to view.
The Incident: Banco Blanco was placed in a special exhibition tent at the New Mexico State Fair. Edwina Barela removed the photo after fair attendees complained about it, suggesting that nudity was inappropriate for the "family oriented" event. Lozoya immediately called his lawyer who filed a lawsuit suggesting that Lozoya's First Amendment rights had been abridged.
Results of Incident: Three more nudes were removed from the exhibit and the fair enacted a policy restricting nude images from future events and competitions.
Source: Artistic Freedom Under Attack, 1996