Australian Museum Hangs Picasso Paintings in Women's Restroom in Response to Court Ruling

The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania has moved part of its Picasso collection to the women's restroom following a court ruling that required the museum to allow men into an area previously designated for women only, reports The Guardian.

Artist Kirshа Kaechele, who is also the wife of the gallery's owner, posted a video on Instagram showing at least two paintings by the Spanish artist hanging in the bathroom. The Picasso paintings were previously displayed in the museum's "Ladies Lounge," which, according to Kaechele, was designed to highlight the experience of excluding men. Kaechele emphasized that the project's aim was to demonstrate historical injustices, as women were banned from entering pubs in Australia until 1965.

However, in April, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that the "Ladies Lounge" was discriminatory following a complaint from a man who was denied entry in 2023.

"A new exhibition at MONA. Women only... There were never any women's restrooms at MONA before; they were all unisex. But then the Ladies Lounge had to close due to a lawsuit filed by a man. And I just didn't know what to do with all these Picassos," Kaechele stated in her post.

It should be noted that the museum was given 28 days to comply with the ruling, which required opening the installation to men. Later, the MONA team filed an appeal requesting the decision be overturned, arguing that the lower court had adopted "an overly narrow view of the historical and current social position of women."

Meanwhile, The Gaze reported that in England, two "eco-activists" from the climate movement Just Stop Oil committed an act of vandalism by spraying orange powder paint on Stonehenge, which is approximately 5,000 years old, just before the summer solstice.