TORONTO — Fox News is getting blasted for blurring out breasts on a Pablo Picasso masterpiece as part of its coverage of the record-breaking Christie’s art sale this week.
On Monday, the vibrant, multi-hued Picasso painting set a world record for artwork at auction, selling for $179.4 million. But it wasn’t the price that had everyone talking. It was the way it was censored by the local Fox NY channel‘s 10 o’clock producers.
Jerry Saltz, a senior art critic with New York Magazine, was arguably the most appalled at the act.
FOX 5 “Good Day New York” anchors Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly also poked fun of their colleagues in the morning. Scotto said, “Are you kidding me? What’s next, the David?”
Countless others agreed with them that the blurring was ridiculous.
In case you’re not sure what nipples look like, this is the painting “unblurred”:
https://instagram.com/p/2quY7sA646/
The controversy over breasts, of course, is nothing new. Most recently, it’s become the subject of the “Free the Nipple” campaign, which has gained steam on social media.
READ MORE: The Naked Truth Behind the ‘Free the Nipple’ Movement
“The issues we’re addressing are equal rights for men and women, a more balanced system of censorship, and legal rights for all women to breastfeed in public,” reads the movement’s mission statement.
You can watch the Free the Nipple trailer below:
Celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Liv Tyler and Chelsea Handler have all jumped on the Free the Nipple bandwagon. One of the topless photos Handler tried to post to Instagram (only to have it promptly removed) was a shot of her riding a horse bare-torsoed (in an attempt to poke fun of a similar shot of Vladimir Putin).
-With files from The Associated Press
*Editors note: This article was updated on May 15, 2015 to specify which Fox station did the blurring and the response of FOX 5 “Good Day New York.”
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