Petition to Remove Balthus Painting from Met Sparks Censorship Debate

A petition on thepetitionsite.com, launched by Mia Merrill, calls for the removal of Balthus's 1938 painting "Thérèse Dreaming" from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, arguing that in the current climate around sexual harassment, the museum is "nobilitating voyeurism and the reduction of children to objects." The painting depicts a young girl with her legs open, underwear visible, in a sensual yet innocent pose typical of Balthus's work, which has long faced accusations of pedophilia—accusations the artist denied. The petition gathered 8,000 signatures in hours. The Met responded by reaffirming the painting's artistic value and its mission to "collect, study, preserve, and present" works of all eras, refusing to remove it. The incident recalls a 2014 case at the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany, where director Tobia Bezzola canceled a show of Balthus's polaroids of young model Anna Wahli (photographed from ages 8 to 16 with parental consent) after critical press articles, avoiding potential legal issues. Critic Jerry Saltz commented on Facebook that removing the Balthus would require removing most art from the Met's collections, from ancient to modern. The article criticizes the petition as moralistic censorship and reflects on broader debates about art, morality, and the limits of free expression.