The Guardian | Joseph Harker and Stephen Moss:
Joseph Harker: ‘Changing the words can bring a story into line with the original intention’
The Tate’s director, Nicholas Serota, says he would never remove offensive words from the title of an artwork on display in his gallery. His views contrast with those of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which has changed the titles of several of its paintings to take account of modern sensibilities. For example, Young Negro Girl, painted around 1900 by the Dutch artist Simon Maris, has been retitled Young Girl Holding a Fan. Serota says he would only do this if the artist gave permisison to do so – which means that for historic art he’d do nothing… Read more
Image: Fagin in Oliver Twist – played by Ron Moody in the 1967 film – is one of literature’s most famous antisemitic caricatures. Photograph: The Graham Stark Photographic Library/Hulton Archive