Bush Monkeys: The Immutable Power of Art Meets the New America

At first it was just a little painting of George W. Bush on display as a part of an exhibition at New York's Chelsea Market. But then, after Bush supporters threatened to boycott the market, managers of the public space shut down the whole show.



The portrait, called Bush Monkeys, is the work of artist Chris Savido. From a distance, Bush Monkeys appears to be an unremarkable portrait of Bush, but upon closer examination, the 18 x 24 acrylic-on-canvas work proves to be a double image: Bush's face is actually made up of monkeys in a marsh.



This week the banned painting found a new home, projected on a giant billboard in Manhattan. In response to the censorship of the art show, anonymous donors paid to have the painting projected above the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, where it will be seen by roughly 400,000 commuters every day.



Savido says the painting is a reaction to Bush's blurring of the traditional separation of church and state in the U.S. "The chimps symbolize the shared biological ancestry of all humanity (including that of President Bush)." The artist plans to put the original painting up for sale on EBay with the proceeds going to buy body armor for U.S. troops in Iraq.



CBC News (Canada) - Banned Bush portrait finds new home




Bush Monkeys is the work of artist Chris Savido