The Dallas Express reported on an exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth that included multiple pornographic pictures of children. The exhibit, called "Diaries of Home," included images from the 1980s of photographer Sally Mann's young children at the time. It centered on Mann’s young daughter, naked, and jumping onto a picnic table. The exhibit also had a portrait of her son with popsicle drips running down his body, including his genitals, Kera News reported. According to the museum, the exhibit "features works by women and nonbinary artists, who explore the multilayered concepts of family, community, and home" and "features mature themes that may be sensitive for some viewers."
This isn’t new for Mann. In 2015, The New York Times reported that a federal prosecutor warned Mann decades earlier that eight of her disturbing photos could subject her to arrest, following the release of her new book "Immediate Family." Mann defended publishing the family photos and described them as "images of children along with sadomasochistic and homoerotic imagery," stimulating widespread discussion about what constituted obscenity in art. After facing controversy, Mann defended the release of her photos and claimed "all too often, nudity, even that of children, is mistaken for sexuality, and images are mistaken for actions." In that piece, Mann claimed, "for all the righteous concern people expressed about the welfare of my children, what most of them failed to understand was that taking those pictures was an act separate from mothering."
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth closed its "Diaries of Home" exhibition.
The photos were allowed to be on display until The Dallas Express received a tip from a Tarrant County resident, leading to outcry from both public and private officials and hundreds signing a petition from The Danbury Institute condemning the display. The petition states that "children cannot consent to such photography, and displaying these images publicly only perpetuates their exploitation. Such actions degrade the values of our community, endanger the innocence of childhood, and contribute to a dangerous cultural shift."
The petition included the signature of Tarrant County Judge, Tim O’Hare, who told The Dallas Express that "There are images on display at this museum that are grossly inappropriate at best. They should be taken down immediately and investigated by law enforcement for any and all potential criminal violations. Children must be protected, and decency must prevail." House District 91 State Representative-elect David Lowe echoed Judge O’Hare’s remarks, telling The Dallas Express that "Protecting society’s most vulnerable, particularly our children, was a key motivator for my decision to run for office. It is crucial that our legal framework leaves no room for predators to misuse the realm of art to display child nudity."
One parent and Fort Worth resident, Isaac Rudolph, took his family to the museum and noticed the images of naked children on display. Rudolph told The Dallas Express that he was "appalled that a public place meant to draw an inclusive audience would display imagery of naked children. An overt violation of inherent morality. Why would an art museum willingly offer the naked bodies of children to be viewed by the public? As parents of two small children, we do everything in our ability to preserve their sacred innocence." The photos have since been seized by Fort Worth police and will not be displayed while the museum is under investigation, PetaPixel reported. The removal of the photos has led to an outcry from some organizations, including the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The NCAC has defended "LGBTQ stories" and the website states that "LGBTQ representation in literature can also promote tolerance and acceptance of all human difference, including sexual and gender identities." NCAC has also defended books that promote child gender transitions, such as "I am Jazz" and "Lily and Dunkin," according to The Dallas Express.
“Diaries of Home” was on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
“Diaries of Home” was on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
The NCAC issued a statement in early January claiming that “Mann’s work, just like that of many artists, may raise questions for some viewers, but any discussion of those questions has now been preempted by disingenuous claims of child sexual abuse and the spectacle of a sensationalized criminal investigation," adding that "such a seizure and investigation can only contribute to the perverse and troubling perception that all images of naked children are inherently sexual, thereby reinforcing the very sexualization of children that critics purport to oppose. In the process, they demean the severity of real child sexual abuse."
According to The Andy Warhol Foundation’s website, "we actively support work by underrepresented practitioners and strive to recognize organizations that address our culture’s systematic marginalization of artists based on race, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, immigration status and income level."
LoneStarLive went as far as accusing The Dallas Express of being anti "LGBTQ content" for their outrage over child pornography being on display. Executive director of Artists at Risk Connection, Julie Trebault, slammed the outcry as "part of a pervasive backsliding of democratic norms and artistic freedom in the U.S. and worldwide" and that "the targeting of women, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized artists whose work challenges societal norms is a common tactic borrowed from authoritarian states around the world."
"Diaries of Home" closed on Sunday, February 2nd. Sally Mann's photos were taken into police custody and locked in a police storage facility. What was on display at the museum was child pornography and does not deserve any place in society. There is absolutely nothing "anti-LGBTQ" about wanting to protect children.
References
An Open Letter to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. (2024, December 28). The Danbury Institute.
County official calls for criminal investigation of museum exhibit in Fort Worth. (2024, December 26). The Dallas Express.
Diaries of Home. (2024). The Modern.
Exclusive: Is the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth promoting child porn? (2024, December 23). The Dallas Express.
Far-left national organization complains after child porn removed from Fort Worth museum. (2025, January 13). The Dallas Express.
Fort Worth police confirm seizure of Sally Mann photos from museum, a move rarely seen. (2025, February 3). The Dallas Morning News.
Fort Worth resident shares reaction to museum’s exhibit: “Overt violation of inherent morality.” (2024, December 26). The Dallas Express.
NCAC decries art censorship at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. (2025, January 9). National Coalition Against Censorship.
Photos removed from Fort Worth museum as police investigate conservatives’ child pornography claims. (2025, January 10). LoneStarLive.
Police investigation of Fort Worth museum exhibition sparks concern from artists. (2024). KERA News.
Police seize photos from Texas museum in unprecedented move. (2025, February 3). Fstoppers.
Sally Mann’s exposure. (2015, April 16). The New York Times.
Texas police ‘seize photographs’ from Sally Mann exhibition. (2025, January 7). PetaPixel.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts mission page. (2025). The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.