BushMonkeys

"No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist." ~ Oscar Wilde

"No one has the right to choose what is wrong." ~ 16th US President Abraham Lincoln

"I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it." ~ Mae West

A portrait of President George W Bush has been removed from the free public gallery of NYC's Chelsea Market. The acrylic on canvas trompe-l'oeil by Christopher Savido, was deemed unfit for display by the Market's Management. The censorship has stirred worldwide outcry in support of the 23 year old artist, a Pittsburgh Pennsylvania native. The work's monetary value is listed at $3,500.00

Workmade.com

savido'sBushMonkeys_byMike Segar/Reuters

bushmonkeys_savido_ byJohn Marshall Mantel for The New York Times

Bush Monkeys Billboard

Bush Monkeys Billboard

UPDATE: Subsequent to Chelsea Market's banning of Christopher Savido's portrait of President Bush, anonymous donors arranged to have Bush Monkeys placed on an electronic billboard at the NYC entrance to the Holland Tunnel. It is estimated that more than 400,000 people will see the work in it's new domain. The original canvas is being auctioned on eBay. A portion of the proceeds are to be donated to the parents of those serving in Iraq. The donated funds will go toward the purchase of body armor for military personnel.

Related: CapitolHillBlue Reuters NYT.com NYNewsday.com Syracuse.com Oddly Enough - Reuters

Arthur E. Dewey Kaoru Ishikawa Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance

Press Statement Richard Boucher, Spokesman Washington, DC December 14, 2004

United States-Japan Bilateral Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance

The United States and Japan held the inaugural session December 13 of the U.S. – Japan Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance. The participants reaffirmed the strong level of cooperation between the United States and the Government of Japan on humanitarian issues and, as world leaders in humanitarian response situations, agreed to explore new avenues for continued collaboration and coordination.

Arthur E. Dewey, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, William J. Garvelink, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance and Kaoru Ishikawa, Director General of the Global Issues Department for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led their respective delegations in discussing global and multilateral issues, including: policy priorities and practice of humanitarian assistance; human security; meeting global challenges multilaterally; food security issues; humanitarian initiatives and opportunities for sustained coordination in Iraq, Afghanistan and crises on the African continent.

The delegations agreed to continue these talks to determine a framework for increased cooperation between the governments in humanitarian affairs. The next meeting will be held in Tokyo in spring 2005.

2004/1360 [End] Released on December 14, 2004