A former nude artist has filed a lawsuit against the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) alleging that the staff “turned a blind eye” to patrons groping his genitals during his performance at an exhibition, as reported by the NY Post. The plaintiff, John Bonafede, claims that his genitals were touched by five men on seven separate occasions at the 2010 exhibit titled

“Marina Abramovich: The Artist is Present”.

The lawsuit was filed in a Manhattan court on Monday.

In his role, Bonafede was tasked with reenacting one of Abramovich’s previous artworks. This involved standing still for 75 minutes, while maintaining eye contact with a woman in a similar pose, in a piece called

“Imponderabilia.”

As part of the exhibition, visitors were encouraged to walk between the two performers to go into the next gallery. 

However, according to the lawsuit obtained by The Post, Bonafede alleges that on seven separate occasions, he was

“fondled and/or groped”

by 5 different

“older men.”

The lawsuit claims that the men would turn sideways, lower their hands, and

“linger for a moment before moving through into the next gallery room.”

The lawsuit also accuses a MOMA security guard of witnessing the assault but not intervening. 

“We are well aware of the challenges posed by having nude performers in the galleries for this exhibition,”

the museum admitted in a statement to The Post.

“Any visitor who improperly touches or disturbs any of the performers is escorted from the museum by MoMA security.”

However, the lawsuit claims that MOMA did not tell visitors not to touch exhibits and refused to provide the identities of the alleged harassers to Bonafede. He filed a lawsuit under the New York Adult Survivors Act and is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. The complaint deadline expired, but he was granted an extension.

#Clique, what are your thoughts?