Posted on 10/10/2004 12:56:10 AM PDT by AnimalLover
A cartoonish painting of President Bush in the nude has been taken down from the wall at the City Museum of Washington.
Washington artist Kayti Didriksen's painting 'Man of Leisure, King George' depicts President Bush in the well-known style of Manet's 'Olympia', as he is presented with his crown by a depiction of Vice President Dick Cheney. The cartoonish painting has been taken down from the wall at the City Museum of Washington, awaiting a more welcoming venue. [AP] The picture, called "Man of Leisure, King George," adopts the pose of a famous Impressionist painting, Edouard Manet's "Olympia," that scandalized Paris in 1863, and now hangs in the Gare d'Orsay Museum in Paris.
The painting by local artist Kayti Didriksen, shows a caricature of Bush, reclining in the nude on a chaise lounge, his head propped up by pillows.
Instead of the female servant who stands behind Olympia's couch, a man in suit and tie resembling Vice President Dick Cheney stands nearby, holding a cushion with a crown and a miniature oil rig on top of it.
The painting was part of a "living room art" show called "Funky Furniture" ¡ª a variety of painted furniture and other items that were set up in the museum last week.
Expected to formally open this month, the show, including the Bush painting, was abruptly shut down Monday after some of the artists' themes were considered unsuitable.
Myra Peabody Gossens, a public relations consultant for the museum, said the exhibit was not what had been expected.
"The museum is not an art museum," she explained. "It gets mostly groups of children, with teachers trying to tell them something about history."
In addition to the Bush painting, the exhibit included a decorated church pew with pictures and writing that accused former President Reagan of ignoring the AIDS crisis and an end table decorated with drug paraphernalia with a quote from former District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry, who was jailed for drug possession.
"This is not what we were bargaining for. We thought we were getting functional furniture," Leslie Shapiro, co-chairman of the museum's board of directors, told the Washington Post.
The City Museum of Washington, operated by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., is primarily a place where local and regional history is on display. The museum's executive board decided the museum was "not an appropriate venue" for the exhibit.
Art-O-Matic 2004, a confederation of local artists which organized the project, now is looking for another space to house the exhibit, said Jim Tretick, a member of the group's board of directors.
"About a dozen people may have seen it on Sunday," said Tretick. "The exhibit wasn't completely mounted. Then it was taken down on Monday when the museum was closed."
There is nothing these evil Dems (some not all) will do to ruin the President. They deserve the wrath of God! Is it any wonder the rest of the world scorns the US. It's things like this that indicate how rotten we have become.
Why the dashes? Nude isn't an offensive word.
Well, Larry Flynt once said that a nude photo of Hillary would be a boon for Hustler...
True, but 'nude bush' might raise eyebrows.
Eyebrows if you're lucky.
Thanks you, thank you. I'm here all week. Try the veal.
If nothing else, it would be a great cure for Viagra overdose.
its not as bad as you'd think
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1756&e=1&u=/041008/480/wx11310082334
That's a good looking Guild! How does it play?
Simply amazing how much hate there is out there for conservatives.
50 years ago this 'art' would not have even made it into a gallery.
This country is going to 'Hell in a Hand basket' and it is all caused by people that 'call' themselves Democrats but are really just hate mongers.
Even the Justices on the Supreme Court would find a nude picture of Hillary offensive!
It plays just fine!
Relax. I'm sure when Dubya heard about it, he just chuckled and shrugged it off, and went back to what he was doing. He isn't high-strung. I like that about him.
The painting is dealing with the absurb, and obviously was painted by a delussional liberal, who is still hanging on to their hanging chads from election 2000.
They should have a anyone on this forum, paint a picture of John Kerry to hang beside the Bush painting. We could show them art.
I wonder if the pik was produced with the help of taxpayer's grant-$$$?
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