Donald and Melanie Trump wanted a museum in New York to lend them a Van Gogh painting for their private rooms in the White House. According to the daily The Washington Post, instead of that, the curator of the Guggenheim Museum made them a clearly satirical counteroffer: a toilet made of pure gold by an Italian artist.
The couple requested the painting “Landscape with Snow” by Van Gogh, which shows a man walking his dog.
The museum’s curator, Nancy Spector, has openly criticized Trump on the social media. In September she sent an email to the White House saying that the Trumps could receive on loan the toilet that until mid-September had been used by visitors in a museum bathroom. The 18-karat toilet titled “United States” is a criticism by Maurizio Cattelan of the nation’s greedy instincts. It is estimated that it is worth more than a million dollars.
In her email Spector included a picture and said that they regretted not being able to satisfy their original request but that they hoped this special offer would be of their interest.
The toilet could be a “long-term loan,” she wrote, adding that of course it was extremely valuable and a bit fragile, but that they would provide all the instructions for its installation and care.
The Post reported that the White House did not give an answer to the offer.
In a blog of the museum, last year the curator referred to Trump as “he of the eponymous golden tower” and included a picture of the Trump Tower located on Fifth Avenue, where the president has an enormous apartment and an office. The president has a propensity for the golden color, the bathrooms of several of his properties are gold plated, and he redecorated the Oval Office with curtains with golden threads.
The curator pointed out that his presidency has been marked by scandal and defined by the deliberate restriction of innumerable civil rights, in addition to refusing to recognize the climate change that puts our planet at risk.
For the time being, the Guggenheim Museum has not responded to AP’s request for comments in relation to this.
AP / OnCuba
