Contested Image

Thomas Eakins 1875 painting, The Gross Clinic, the Rocky Statue, andthe Barnes Foundation are all iconic in Philadelphia for different reasons. But around the year 2000, this painting, this sculpture, and this entire art collection, respectively, generated extendedand heatedcontroversies about the appropriate location for each item. Contested Image revisits the debates that surrounded these works of visual culture and how each item changed through acts of receptionthrough the ways that viewers looked at, talked about, and used these objects to define their city. Laura Holzman investigates the negotiations and spirited debates that affected the city of Philadelphias identity and its public image. She considers how the regions cultural resources reshaped the citys reputation as well as delves into discussions about official efforts to boost local spirit. In tracking these contested images, Holzman illuminates the messy process of public envisioning of place and the ways in which public dialogue informs public meaning of both cities themselves and the objects of urban identity.