The Praying Hitler Statue
Controversy has arisen in Warsaw, Poland as a result of a piece by Maurizio Cattelan.
The Italian artist has created a statue of Adolf Hitler praying and placed it in the former Warsaw Ghetto, a location that saw numerous Jews killed by the dictator during his regime.
It is titled "HIM," is only visible from a long distance and is meant to force a contemplation on the nature of evil, according to organizers.
However, Jewish advocacy group the Simon Wiesenthal Center doesn't see it that way.
The organization says the placement of the artwork represents "a senseless provocation, which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims."
Adds the group's director, Efraim Zuroff:
"As far as the Jews were concerned, Hitler's only 'prayer' was that they be wiped off the face of the earth."
The Nazis sealed off the Ghetto soon after conquering Poland. They forced Jews to live there in awful conditions, many passing away, while they awaited transportation to death camps.
Fabio Cavallucci, director of the Center for Contemporary Art, which oversees the exhibit, says: "There is no intention from the side of the artist or the center to insult Jewish memory. It's an artwork that tries to speak about the situation of hidden evil everywhere."
Where do you stand, readers? What do you think of Praying Hitler?
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