Artist Illma Gore after being assaulted by a Trump supporter (all photos via @illmagore/Instagram unless otherwise noted)
Artist Illma Gore has had her Facebook account suspended, received thousands of death threats from strangers, and faces potential lawsuits for her infamous drawing of a nude Donald Trump — and now she bears the bruises from a physical assault by an anonymous Trump supporter. Last week, while Gore was walking alone to an art supply store in her neighborhood in Los Angeles, a car full of men pulled up by her and “yelled slurs and swears,” as she told Hyperallergic; one then got out and struck her on the face, shouting “Trump 2016” and laughing.
Artist Illma Gore after being assaulted by a Trump supporter (click to enlarge)
The car, perpetrator inside, drove away, but Gore quickly filed a police report after the incident. The case has not yet had any leads, but she describes her attacker as “a six-foot-tall, thin white guy with a red cap, around 25ish” and said that people have recognized and at times approached her ever since she first shared the drawing with the public in February.
Titled “Make America Great Again,” the work that features the presumptive Republican nominee with a small penis is currently on view at Maddox Gallery in London, from which Gore had just returned. It is priced at the exorbitantly high ~1.4 million USD and has not yet sold, but if it does, Gore intends to donate a portion to Safe Place for Youth, a LA-based homeless shelter for youth.
Illma Gore with her Trump portrait at Maddox Gallery (photo courtesy the artist)
“I suppose art is supposed to evoke an emotion, and although I should never have been hit, it’s kind of indicative of where we are right now,” she told Hyperallergic, adding that she has no regrets about executing the work despite all the distress she has since experienced.
“I would draw it again,” she said. “I think it was important — it’s been hard, but this is how we find the truth. It’s more important to talk about the casual violence and what we’re seeing in this whole thing, where I’ve been censored and shut up and now punched.
“I would hate for artists to sit idly by and let things happen … for them to think to just shut up and be quiet. Because if it happened to me I’m sure it would happen to any other artist.”
I guess she is waiting for her Prince Saatchi.. uh.. Charming to some snatch up her drawing and fly her directly to the heights of Art Stardom.
I would buy a litho.
Perhaps Illma Gore should make another drawing depicting DT at the other extreme.
Or better yet, make a triptych — Small, Medium, and Large — giving viewers their choice, and offending no one (or everyone).
Right, because if it’s one thing artists should be thinking about, it’s not offending anyone.
“(or everyone)”
I hope they catch the guy who punched her.
They’d have a better chance of catching a leprechaun.
Try as they will, try as they might, who steals me gold, won’t live through the night.
Shiney shiney.
Haha.
This is so typically American. In Canada, an artist did a parody portrait of former Prime Minister Stephen “Ech” Harper in the nude, after Manet’s Olympia (http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/mummy-buzz/stephen-harper-nude). Micro-components were also involved. There was some critical controversy, and the work was purchased by a collector, but no one was assaulted as far as I know. The reaction was mostly laughter. In the US a young artist exploits the same hackneyed idea, the volume of discontent is way higher, the price is jacked up beyond reason, and the artist is assaulted. Whoever did it is obviously not interested in making America great again, since one of the things that made a great in the first place is freedom of expression without fear of repercussion. The other things that made America great are exploiting hackneyed ideas, expressing discontent loudly, and jacking up prices, so the only thing that’s no longer appropriate is the violence. The takeaway: Trump supporters are ignorant hypocrites. These punks should save their negative energy to make intelligent critical remarks, like, “This isn’t so great a work of art, plus it’s been done before–and better.” The correct reaction is to laugh it off, as did Helen Zille in Soweto (http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/world/2012/05/23/other-political-leaders-painted-nude). Get it together, people.
There is reason to believe that this is, shall we say, a “performance piece.” America’s infatuation with violence and weaponry has plenty of less questionable examples for your outrage, eh.
Once again we see ‘speculation’ trying to turn itself into ‘reality’. Please, “Just the facts, Ma’am. Just the facts.”
‘Reasons’ are not evidence, though they may support evidence.
For those wondering why she has a bruise on one side of her face and then on the other side in another photo, look closely and see the tatoo on one cheek, which is on the opposite cheek in the other…obviously one photo was taken in a mirror. Her assault appears to be real and is a sad commentary on the current thinking (or lack thereof) of some segments of the American populace.
No leads cause it didn’t happen
It sounds like you and The Supreme Gentleman know something some of us have only wondered about. Can you give us any details?
She’s an excellent artist yet hasn’t provided a sketch of her attacker. Just ‘tall white guy in a red hat’ she can do better than that.. They were in a car but no real description or partial plate? Makes no sense at all.
It makes A LOT of sense. Have you ever been accosted? I have, in a parking lot, and believe me I don’t recall very much at all. Life is not a TV show that plays out in an hour with all the pieces fitting neatly together.
As I’ve said, I don’t know what happened. But I do find it interesting that so many people can so quickly draw conclusions from so little information. And from sketchy press reports at that.
Furthermore. Would you be willing to take a punch in the face as some sort of a performance piece (as has been suggested)? Perhaps. And perhaps many people would. But again, just because some would doesn’t mean that SHE did, or didn’t. It doesn’t mean either.
I find neither “supreme” nor ‘gentleman’ in the ‘fellow’s’ comment(s) – easier to sow doubt, throw a true sucker punch, and helping further “Make America Hate Again” – then to listen …
You know there are fat men with small penises, who are good people, right? Asking for a friend.
I can’t stand Trump, but I agree this sounds sketchy. No witnesses at all? Really? A car full of Trump supporters happened to be driving by and recognized her? Publicity/political stunt.
She’s an IDIOT for living in California. If she had any sense, she would move to another state where she learns how to shoot a pistol for self-defense and get her concealed-carry! That would likely put a swift end to the violence she’s getting.
I dislike the paintings. But that’s no reason to attack her physically.
Totally not.
If I would attack everything that I dislike.
I would have a fulltime job doing that haha.
Just think , fuck it.
She looks good enough to do some other close-up things with her anyway.
But not against her will.
That’s not how I am and not how I want to be.