Jock Sturges exhibition closed in Moscow due to 'unacceptable' pictures

Jock Sturges's exhibition titled Bez Smuscheniya in Moscow's Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography was closed on Sunday, confirmed Anton Tsvetkov, chairman of the executive committee of the Officers of Russia and member of the Public Chamber.

According to Tsvetkov, in light of "a huge number of calls from outraged citizens" complaining about the exhibition on Saturday, it was decided that the entrance to the exhibition would be blocked. The event's organizer agreed not to reopen the doors of the exhibition until all complaints were investigated.

As a result of the complaint, Duma deputy Elena Mizulina and Russia's children's rights commissioner demanded that Sturges's photographs be evaluated for signs of child pornography.

Tsvetkov said that he looked over the exhibition along with the Center's owners and police officials and did not see any evidence of the "awful, disgusting pictures", copies of which had been sent to him in complaints. About 15 percent of the images, however, he said, depicted "half-naken children."

"We believe that this, too, of course, is unacceptable, although it is necessary that a legal assessment be made," said Tsvetkov.

Natalia Grigorieva, the Center's owner, explained that she preferred to close the exhibit so as to avoid any "trouble".

"All night yesterday and today I received threats from absolutely incompetent people," she said.

The Jock Sturges. Bez Smuscheniya exhibition opened at Moscow's Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography on September 8, 2016.

Jock Sturges is an American photographer known for his stills of nude adolescents.