The museum (in Lausanne) decided to cancel the prize after the French clothing brand Lacoste has demanded that Jerusalem-born artist Larissa Sansour be removed from the shortlist of the Lacoste Elysée photography prize, because it regards the artist’s work “too pro-Palestinian.”

The Elysée museum based in Lausanne and the french clothing company Lacoste created the prize 1 year ago to promote artists.

How pathetic.

So now where an artist is born dictates where their work may be exhibited?

actually l'elysee has cancelled it because lacoste wanted sansour out of the contest. l'elysee will be exhibiting her work separately to show their support of her and sent a very well-written message to patrons explaining this. this is a great museum and i am proud that they stand up to a company like lacoste, and their discriminatory practices...

Agree its a great museum for photography. We're actually pretty fortuante to have quite a few excellent museums in Lausanne. MUDAC, l'art Brut, l'Hermitage, etc.....in a "Ville du Sport"

Also have a great jazz club too - Chorus

In this day and age this is an outrage, I am happy to hear the museum reacted this way!

I can't find any official confirmation about this, but I read somewhere that Lacoste is Jewish?

Lacoste the company was founded by and named after the french tennis star René Lacoste

what his ethnicity was I don't know.

How can a company be Jewish????

Or do you walk around calling IKEA a Christian company?

Seems everyone is over-reacting:

“Larissa Sansour’s photographic project Nation Estate was removed from the Lacoste Elysée Prize only because it didn’t correspond to the theme of the 2011 edition, i.e. joie de vivre. We regret the political interpretation of our decision."

It helps to actually read the article!

Tom

Tom,
Are you also reading the press releases of your own governement literally?

What press release did the Swiss government make?

Tom

My bad, I meant Rene Lacoste

Err sorry but they asked the artist to sign a paper that she voluntary decided to withdraw from competition which is not true. Besides there is an official press release from the museum explaining what happened exactly.
There are google-cache copies of the website showing her name in the list of selected artists and then it was removed. Can't believe you make it to the finals if you don't fit the theme of the contest?!

René Lacoste has nothing to do with the decision (he's dead). It's the stupid attitude of some Lacoste managers in Paris who thought they'd be smart by censoring an artist.

press release from l'elysee-


Musée de l'Élysée - Lausanne
Press release

Suspension of the Lacoste Elysée Prize 2011

Lausanne, 21 December 2011 - The Musée de l’Elysée has decided to suspend the organisation of the Lacoste Elysée Prize 2011. Introduced in 2010 to sustain young photographers, the prize is worth 25 000 euros.

In the context of the 2011 edition of the prize, eight nominees were selected to take part in the contest. They were asked to produce three photographs on the theme la joie de vivre. With the help of a individual grant of 4 000 euros, each nominee had carte blanche to interpret the theme in which ever way they favoured, in a direct or indirect manner, with authenticity or irony, based upon their existing or as an entirely new creation. An expert jury should have met at the end of January 2012 to select the winner of the Lacoste Elysée Prize 2011.

The Musée de l’Elysée has based its decision on the private partner’s wish to exclude Larissa Sansour, one of the prize nominees. We reaffirm our support to Larissa Sansour for the artistic quality of her work and her dedication. The Musée de l’Elysée has already proposed to her to present at the museum the series of photographs “Nation Estate”, which she submitted in the framework of the contest.

For 25 years, the Musée de l’Elysée has defended with strength artists, their work, freedom of the arts and of speech. With the decision it has taken today, the Musée de l’Elysée repeats its commitment to its fundamental values.
----------------

and then there's this article
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/a...arissa-sansour
and
http://artinfo.com/news/story/754484...ro-palestinian

Sansour's "Nation estate" series is extremely simplistic in its political views (but that's the case for most political art). However, it's also not photography, so it shouldn't have been put on the short list in the first place.

http://www.bjp-online.com/british-jo...prize-censored

Can you give us an official definition of photography?

it reminds me of soviet times when the party defined what is art and what is not art

The way I interpret it from the different texts is that she was selected/nominated to hand in a piece of work (amongst eight others) with a specific theme (joie de vivre). However, once she handed in her work, they (Lacoste?) decided she had not complied with the theme required. Elysee seem to be of the opinion that the theme could be interpreted in any which way the artist chose. Word against word, opinion against opinion....

why would the Musée Elysée make an official statement that she was discarded because of the "political" interpretation of her work?

Because their PR department is stupid.