Painting a nude Donald Trump portrait was scary enough — but now a Los Angeles artist might be sued for it.
The creative mind behind the infamous painting of Trump in the buff — and with a tiny penis — says Trump’s legal team has threatened a lawsuit over her dismaying depiction of GOP presidential front-runner.
“I don’t believe I did anything wrong,” artist Illma Gore told the Daily News.
“It’s my work and I’ll stand by it no matter what.”
Gore, who lives in Los Angeles, painted the birthday suit Trump in February — before Trump even felt the need to publicly defend the size of his manhood. She titled it “Make America Great Again.”
She wrote this artist’s statement for it: “Because no matter what is in your pants, you can still be a big prick.”
The work became an instant viral sensation, and according to The Guardian, it attracted bids over $141,770 (£100,000) after it went on display in the Maddox Gallery in Mayfair, London this month.
But Gore said Trump’s legal team has tried stripping away her artistic freedom. She said his lawyers have called her twice threatening lawsuits over the hateful huckster’s right of publicity.
She said Facebook, too, has warned of legal action under for copyright violation under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Gore also accused the site, as well as eBay and Twitter, of censoring some posts of the painting.
Attorneys for Trump and Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment.
Besides legal wrangling, Gore said the painting has also brought her “threats of rape,” “detailed death threats” and stalkers at her home.
But the blowback hasn’t silenced her — she said she has another painting inspired by the presidential campaign arriving next week, though she's keeping the dirty details under wraps.
She told the News: “I'd ruin it if I told you now!”
read more