Digital Censorship on Fox Channel

'Sexually sick' Fox News covers up breasts and genitals in Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers

Painting sold for record $179 million (€161 million) at Christie's in New York

ADAM WITHNALL, The Independent, Thursday 14th May 2015

Art experts have become the latest group to be offended by Fox News, after the US broadcaster covered up the depiction of women’s breasts and genitals in a report on the sale of a Pablo Picasso masterpiece. The Women of Algiers (Version O) became the most expensive painting sold at auction on Monday when it went for $179 million (£114 million) at Christie’s in New York.

But in reporting on the setting of this new world record, someone in the Fox newsroom apparently decided that life painting was in fact offensive or sexual rather than simply artistic.

Three sets of breasts were blurred out in the report, while other bits deemed too rude by Fox were covered by the strategically-placed Fox News strap line.

Jerry Saltz, a senior critic at the New York magazine, wrote on Twitter that the decision to blur parts of the masterpiece betrayed the “sick minds” of those reporting. “How sexually sick are conservatives and Fox News?” he said.

The artist and author Gonzalo W Benard said it was “pathetic”, while art writer Aruna D’Souza said sarcastically: “Glad Fox News is protecting its audience from Picasso’s smutty mind.” Another Twitter user commented with the hashtag “#FreeTheNipple”.