Bojo has an art attack! Painter asks public to deface portrait
An award-winnng artist has invited the public to deface her £10,000 portrait of Boris Johnson, whom she accuses of putting political ambition before the interests of the UK.
Helen Masacz’s painting, for which Boris sat for preliminary sketches and photographs, was once exhibited at the national Portrait Gallery.
It shows the ex Foreign Secretary holding a large mollusc after he once described himself as hard on the outside and soft in the middle. Masacz has now retitled her work ‘Boris Johnson — Cover Up (2018)’.
However Masacz has grown increasingly disillusioned with the Brexiteer since his halcyon days as the Conservative Party’s most popular MP.
Says Masacz: ‘I painted the London Mayor in 2010 as part of an exhibition at the national Portrait Gallery. Johnson’s parachute didn’t quite open after his spectacular descent from the role of London Mayor.
‘with his funny flyaway hair and his puppy-like enthusiasm to the current series of calamities, he has veered off course and is putting his political ambitions before the interests of Britain.’
Brushes will be provided for guests who will be invited to daub paint over the portrait at tonight’s private view at the royal Opera arcade Gallery. at the end of the Face Value show, which is being staged by the Lot 5 Collective, the painting will be sold by raffle, with all proceeds going to the homeless charity, Shelter.
It is not the first indignity that 54-year- old Johnson has endured this week.
a huge effigy of him was burnt at Edenbridge in Kent to mark Bonfire night.