Silverman nudes deemed irrelevant to BYU exhibition

PROVO — An exhibition entitled "The Intimate Eye: Drawings by Burton Silverman," will open July 29 at the BYU's Museum of Art without nudes.

That makes the artist chuckle.

Silverman said he began doing nudes by visiting burlesque houses early in his career.

"Nudity in public life is relevant," he said.

However, the nudes in his collection of illustrations were deemed irrelevant to the BYU show.

"The purpose of the show was not to show a retrospective of all of his work," said museum spokesman Chris Wilson. Rather, the exhibition is to show how Silverman captures the human face and the essence of humanity.

"We picked works that reflect what we wanted to show about Burt's work," Wilson said. "There was no censorship."

The museum will exhibit 33 of Silverman's life drawings. Many were done prior to the paintings he did while others were commissioned. Silverman's work, which spans four decades, has appeared in a variety of national publications, including New Yorker Magazine. His work has also been on the covers of Time magazine and Newsweek.

Silverman has exhibited in galleries and museums since 1956. He has had 30 solo shows in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., the Mexico City Museum of Art and the Royal Academy of Art in London.

In October 1997 the university refused to show four sculptures by 19th century French sculptor, Francois-Auguste-Rene Rodin, "The Kiss," "Saint John the Baptist Preaching," The Prodigal Son" and "Monument to Balzac."

It wasn't about the nudity, Campbell Gray, director of the Museum of Art, said then, but rather about a "lack of dignity." BYU stored the four pieces until the entire exhibit was returned to the Cantor Foundation, which loaned the exhibit.

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