Immersions (Piss Christ) (1987) – Andres Serrano

Photographer Andres Serrano stirred controversy when he took a picture of a crucifix submerged in his urine. At first, nobody cared about it until a pastor raised his concern, which reached Congress. Some senators expressed disappointment over Serrano’s funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, giving birth to a law that divided the nation.

It also raised questions about the government’s hand in art censorship. It pushed other artists to push limits. In 1998, the Supreme Court approved the decency-standards law. In 2007, Piss Christ was vandalized in Australia, and four years later, protesters destroyed the work in France.