Animal-human ‘sex act’ sculpture finds new home after being deemed ‘too risque’ for Paris park

The controversial “Domestikator” sculpture, which many say appears to depict a four-legged animal performing a sex act on a human being, has found a new home after being deemed too “provocative” and “risque” by the Louvre.

The large walk-through sculpture was created by Dutch artist Joep Van Lieshout. It houses several smaller sculptures and a bed and was set to be installed in the Tuileries Gardens, near the Louvre, but the famous French gallery decided that it risked “being misunderstood by the visitors to the gardens.”

Domestikator will instead be housed very close to the Louvre at the Pompidou Centre Museum.

The museum’s director, Bernard Blistene, struck a defiant note in telling Reuters why the museum is taking the sculpture.

“Obscene, pornographic? Well, obscenity is everywhere, pornography, sadly, is everywhere, certainly not in this work of art,” he said.

“This work of art is funny, it is an obvious nod to the relationship of abstraction and figurative painting that co-exist in Dutch art in the 20th century. Spiritual yes, obscene no.”

Joep van Lieshout said that he is happy the work of art has found a home. “I’m very pleased that the Centre Pompidou was able to see beyond the sensationalized interpretations of this work,” he said in a statement.

“Domestikator was always intended to be a catalyst for thought, as it addresses the very serious issue of how humans employ technology.”