Nude Paintings Taken Down In San Bernardino County Building Following Complaints

Nudity in art: Yep, still controversial.

Or at least, that's what officials over in San Bernardino think—the city is going to take down paintings that feature naked folks in the county's administration building.

According to ABC News, the paintings have been up for about a week, but the county has received complaints. Spokesman David Wert told the news site that, "If this were an art gallery it would be one thing, but it's a government building and people come here to work and to do business, and we don't feel they should be confronted with images that offend them."

The paintings are by artists Armando Aleman of Riverside and Efren Montiel Jimenez of Rialto, reports the San Bernardino Sun, and complaints were received about them by both visitors and county employees.

Bus a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Censorship told the newspaper that the paintings were protected from being taken down. “When they decided to exhibit artwork there, it became subject to the 1st Amendment as a public forum,” said Michael O’Neil.

No word as to how the saga will be resolved.