Obesity pictures banned from exhibition after dozens complain

An artist has been banned from displaying photographs at an exhibition about obesity – because they featured snaps of fat people NAKED.

One shocking image, which attracted dozens of complaints, showed a morbidly overweight woman sitting naked on a bench while throwing up.

Artist John Yeadon, 62, sparked outrage when he displayed 30 pictures and drawings for his exhibition entitled: ‘Fat: The Morality of the Eater and the Eaten.’

Four photographs were withdrawn from the exhibition after just two days after a string of complaints.

Another picture which was removed showed a fat naked brunette stuffing cream cakes into her mouth.

A third photograph which featured a fat bearded man sitting naked at his computer was also withdrawn along with a picture of a huge woman’s backside sitting on a tiny chair.

Steve Bayliss, who runs the Bath Community Centre in Leamington Spa, Warks., where the exhibition is on display branded the pictures ”repulsive”.

He said: ”The exhibition went up on Saturday and we had literally dozens of complaints from people saying the pictures were offensive.

”I recognise that art must be provocative but there must be a line between what is art and what is simply obscene and repulsive.

”A number of people who saw the exhibition had young children and were not impressed by what they saw.

”We made the decision to take the pictures down.”

But artist John, from Coventry, said he stood by his work.

He said: ”I am a huge fan of the grotesque and see no reason why the pictures were taken down.

”They were juxtaposed with other pictures and drawings of food and in no way was I mocking fat people. They were important for the exhibition.”

John Yeadon’s art exhibition also includes a ‘menu’ of the last meals of eight US convicted murderers before they were executed.

The include crazed killer James Blake Colburn – who raped and strangled 56-year-old Peggy Murphy in Texas in 1993.

Colburn’s final meal before he was executed on March 26, 2003 was tortillas, tacos, burritos, Spanish rice, cheese dips, six cokes and chocolate cake.

Beside a description of his crimes is a picture of his final meal which John made himself before eating it.

Keith Bernard Clay, who shot a shop assistant dead during a robbery in 1994, scoffed four pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, a bacon cheeseburger, two pints of ice cream and two vanilla cokes.

Meanwhile John William Elliot, who raped 19-year-old Joyce Munguia before beating her to death with a motorcycle chain ate just one cup of tea and six chocolate chip cookies before he was executed in Texas on February 4, 2003.

Greedy Richard Head Williams, who stabbed a 44-year-old woman to death with a steak knife in a contract killing, polished of a gut-busting last meal before he was executed just 21 days later in Texas.

He ate two chilli cheese dogs, two cheeseburgers, two portions of onion rings with French dressing, turkey salad with French fries, jalapeno peppers, egg rolls, chocolate cake, apple pie, butter pecan ice cream, one peach and three Dr Peppers.

Meanwhile Samuel Clark Gallamore, who brutally stabbed to death an elderly couple and their daughter in 1992 chose not to eat anything before he was executed in Texas on January 14, 2003.

Artist John said: ”I wanted to illustrate what these men’s final meals were.

”I made them all and ate them. It gave me an odd sense of being with them in their final hours.”

The menu has NOT been withdrawn from the exhibition.