GOYA PAINTING “OBSCENE”

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28866, 10 April 1959, Page 11

GOYA PAINTING “OBSCENE”

Ruling By U.S. Post Office

(Rec. 8 p.m.) WASHINGTON, April 8.

The United States Post Office department has decided that Francisco Goya’s famous painting, “The Naked Maja,” is obscene. It ruled that United Artists Could not send through the mail coloured postcards promoting a film of the same name on one side. The other side features Goya’s painting of the reclining Duchess of Alba

The department was unmoved by arguments that the original, painted in 1804. hangs in Madrid’s world-renowned Prado Museum and that the painting has been reproduced on stamps by Spanish postal authorities.

The Post Office Department’s general counsel (Mr Herbert Warburton) said the ban was put into effect last Friday when United Artists tried to mail 2000 of the postcards in New York City. He said postal officers in New York had asked for a ruling on the cards and that a formal hearing would be held in Washington on Friday.

H. L. Collins Ill.—The former Australian test cricket captain, H. L. Collins, is seriously ill in a Sydney hospital. Mr Collins led Australia in the 1926 tour of England, and was a stubborn opening batsman. Sydney, April B.

N-Z- pla ver Beaten.—Miss J. Williamson, of New Zealand, was beaten in straight sets by a Hungarian player, in the English table tennis championships yesterday.—London, April 9.