August 14, 2001
Subject: Our Lady
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 10:15:36 -0700
From: Mortimer H Herzstein <mortlaw@pacbell.net>
Reply-To: Mortimer H Herzstein <mhh@mortlaw.com>
To: almalopez@earthlink.net
I am a trustee of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation
and when I was in Santa Fe earlir this month for the annual meeting I saw
your work that caused such a fuss. I am strongly behind keeping the
work on the wall and not removing it on first amendment grounds. The
fact that it troubles some people is their problem. As an American Jew
I have been troubled at times by depictions of certain Christian religious
events that demeaned Jews, but I never asked for any removal of the offending
items.
I noted that this image was a multiple and I
wonder if any are available for sale and the price. I might be interested.
I have a John Sloan etching that was banned from exhibition back in the 20s
or 30s.
It puzzles me that such an innocuous image could
cause all the "alleged outrage". It also demonstrates how
little the protesters, including the archbishop, understand about the first
amendment.
Thank you.
Mortimer H. Herzstein
Attorney at Law
San Francisco, CA