(A7) The British television outlet Channel 4has decided to purchase works of art painted by very controversial figures throughout history and to launch a new reality show in which the viewers will decide whether to destroy the works of art or not.
Among other things, the heads of the channel purchased a painting drawn by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, the convicted Australian pedophile Rolf Harris, the British Eric Gill who was convicted of sexual abuse, and more.
The British comedian Jimmy Carr was chosen to host the new program, which was named “Jimmy Carr Destroys Art,” in which the viewers will be asked to decide “whether it is possible to separate a work of art from its creator.” At the end of the discussion, the viewers will decide which of the artworks to destroy, if any.
A spokesman for Channel 4 told CNN that if the viewers decide to destroy the work of art painted by Hitler, “the painting that Hitler painted will be sent to shredding, and other works of art may be burned with a blowtorch,” according to him.
Ian Katz, the program director of Channel 4, explained what is behind the new and controversial reality show. “There are supporters for every work of art. So there will be someone who will defend Hitler. There will be someone who will argue not for Hitler, but for the fact that his moral character should not decide whether or not a work of art exists,” said Katz.
The new program has received sharp criticism from organizations working to preserve the memory of the Holocaust. The Holocaust Day Foundation accused the new program of “turning Hitler into a subject of light entertainment.”
Olivia Marks-Waldman, CEO of the Holocaust Day Foundation, told CNN that “there is nothing amusing or funny about Hitler or the murder of 6 million Jews, and the persecution of millions more. This is very inappropriate, and at a time of increasing Holocaust distortion, this is a dangerous trivialization of the Holocaust.”
