Anti-Censorship Art Goes Back Up After Flap

The company that ordered the removal Thursday of artist Robbie Conal’s anti-censorship billboard in West Hollywood has reversed itself, and the massive 19-by-48-foot artwork was reinstalled on Friday.

Conal, who was never contacted by the company during the controversy, said he saw the reversal as a victory over censorship.

“It’s quite gratifying to know that the billboard is going back up,” Conal said. “The bureaucrats in the corporate headquarters must have decided to go back and re-read the Bill of Rights.”

The structure where the billboard is hung is owned by 3M National Advertising Co., a subsidiary of the Minnesota-based 3M Corp. 3M officials reversed themselves after lengthy boardroom discussion Friday morning.

Peter D. Bear, a 3M spokesman, said the review was made “in light of the fact that decisions of this kind are often subjective.”

On Thursday, Bear had called the billboard “too controversial” and blamed Dennis LeBlanc, the director of advertising in 3M National’s Woodland Hills office, for approving the project without seeking authorization from national headquarters.

But on Friday, Bear credited LeBlanc for being influential in the decision to reinstate the billboard.

“We decided because we had made an agreement with the artist to display this work that the right thing for the company to do would be for us to honor that agreement and display it,” Bear said.

LeBlanc said 3M National had received nothing but positive feedback about the billboard.

“It’s true that I approved the piece in violation of company policy,” Le Blanc said. “But I thought the content of the piece served the neighborhood where it was being displayed.”

The billboard depicts a caustic caricature of conservative Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) with a caption that reads: “Artificial Art Official.” Helms has been active in the national controversy over federal funding of the arts.