From urine to chocolate: 20 years of blasphemous art

SACRILICIOUS Choco Christ

There was once a time when artists would venerate sacred religious icons in order to make a name for themselves—just look at Michelangelo or Raphael. These days, however, defamation seems the surer path to art stardom. Take the recent Choco Christ controversy. Artist Cosimo Cavallaro created a 6-foot-tall, 200-pound, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus, to show at a Manhattan gallery during the holy week of Easter. After Cardinal Egan described it as "a sickening display" and death threats were made against Cavallaro, the gallery cancelled the exhibit. But at least Cavallaro's name has now made it to print. Of course, it's not the first time.

Inspired by the "Choco Christ" debacle, Radar has put together a visual history of recent artistic blasphemy. As all of these artists have learned, there's no quicker way to piss off the local diocese than to get creative with the Almighty, and no better way to move your name from the arts page to the front page.