The explicit painting sparked a furor in the 19th century and its power to shock remains undimmed, making it the perfect vehicle to explore what artistic freedom truly means.
Gustave Courbet, Public Domain
The UNESCO defines artistic freedom as “the freedom to imagine, create and distribute diverse cultural expressions free of governmental censorship, political interference or pressures of non-state actors.” The legal foundation for the protection of artistic freedom is nowadays rooted in various international agreements, such as Article 15 (3) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). But why exactly do we need to protect artistic freedom with legal regulations?
Few works of art can serve as a more compelling focal point for discussing artistic freedom than Gustave Courbet’s The Origin of the World. Created in 1866 for the Turkish diplomat Khalil Bey, the artwork caused a scandal when it was unveiled, igniting debates about morality and the boundaries of artistic expression. This was certainly what Courbet intended, since he viewed the painting as a bold protest against the societal conventions of the Second Empire.
The full history of Gustave Courbet’s The Origin of the World is also telling when viewed through the lens of artistic freedom. The painting’s first owner, Khalil Bey, chose to conceal the piece from his guests, but he openly displayed other works of art in his salon. This pattern of secrecy continued when the painting passed to antiquities dealer Antoine de la Narde, who obscured it behind a cover featuring Courbet’s Le château de Blonay.
The painting’s journey took a darker turn when it was acquired by collector Ferenc von Hatnavy in 1910; due to his Jewish heritage, he stored it in a bank vault in 1942 for safekeeping. Following the opening of these vaults by Russian troops in 1945, Hatnavy emigrated to Paris and arranged for the artwork to be smuggled to France.
The psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan later purchased the painting in 1955, only to hide it behind another canvas. It wasn't until 1988 that The Origin of the World was publicly displayed for the first time at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. The contrast between the nudity depicted in the painting and its concealment throughout more than a century points to the social taboo that Courbet breached with The Origin of the World.
However, Gustave Courbet’s painting continues to ignite fierce debates, even in contemporary society. In 1994, it was used as the cover for Jacques Henric’s novel Adorations perpétuelles, prompting police intervention to remove the book from store displays. In 2011, when Frode Steinicke shared the artwork on Facebook, the platform censored it. This pattern of censorship, which Facebook embarked on in other cases, led to a significant ruling in 2018 by a French court, which determined that Facebook could not continue to impose restrictions on artworks featuring nudity.
The debates surrounding the painting took another turn in 2024 when activists spray-painted a “Me Too” message on the glass protecting the artwork. This act highlighted a different social taboo than the 19th century prudery Courbet was originally targeting – with the model’s head and legs cropped out, the painting reduces the female figure to an anonymous body and is thereby reminiscent of pornography. Similarly, the perspective of the viewer looking down on the model from a height has also led to heated debates. And most certainly, the power dynamic between the (male) painter and his (female) model, which is expressed here (as in many other cases), is also something to be addressed.
Ultimately, the history of Gustave Courbet’s The Origin of the World illustrates the very nub of art. The painting’s multi-dimensional nature allows for different interpretations, which is also what gives art its profound value within society. Art actively contributes to societal debates and often triggers discussions which might not have otherwise occurred; it has, in other words, the potential to disrupt the status quo.
The fact that democratic societies tend to protect artistic freedom more robustly than their authoritarian counterparts is likely one of the reasons for their greater development today (and, conversely, the disruptive potential of art is evident in how authoritarian regimes often silence artists first).
It’s certainly true that to respect artistic freedom is to embrace a high degree of tolerance, allowing for diverse interpretations and critiques, whether they stem from Courbet challenging bourgeois prudery or contemporary feminist performances pointing at the misogynist dimension of the painting. The debates triggered in both cases were and are essential for social progress, which should remind us that artistic freedom is one of the cornerstones of a thriving society.