Atlanta

Artist Prohibited from Displaying Painting With Confederate Flag, Sues California

Timothy Desmond's painting of the siege of Atlanta was banned because it depicts the flag

A Fresno artist has filed a lawsuit against state officials accusing them of violating his free speech by keeping his painting out of The Big Fresno Fair.

The Fresno Bee reports that Timothy Desmond has filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Jerry Brown's September 2014 ban on the Confederate flag being displayed on state property.

The 2014 law says the Battle Flag of the Confederacy or any similar image cannot be sold or displayed on state property unless the image appears in a medium that serves an educational or historical purpose.

Desmond created a painting that depicts Confederate soldiers fighting in the 1864 siege of Atlanta. The Big Fresno Fair banned the painting because the Confederate flag is in the painting.

Desmond argues the law should not apply to privately created art displayed at state-run fairs.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us