Why Did eBay Pull This Artist’s Anti-Zimmerman Painting?

On the same day that George Zimmerman’s painting raked in over $100,000 on eBay, artist Micheal D’Antuono was told by the same online auction company that his artistic interpretation of the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin confrontation violated eBay’s Hateful or Discriminatory policy and was removed from the website.

In an email D’Antuono provided to Raw Story, eBay told the artist that “[i]tems promoting or glorifying hatred, violence, or racial or religious intolerance aren’t allowed. Items that promote organizations with these views are also prohibited.” And they explained that “[t]he painting you listed appears to contain images or icons associated with the KKK which are not allowed to be listed on our site as they represent an organization that glorifies hate and violence.”

George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin and the sale of his painting, created with house paint and largely copied from a stock image, caused outrage among many who saw his acquittal as a severe miscarriage of justice.

D’Antuono’s own anger towards the idea that Zimmerman, who he believes was responsible for the murder of Martin, would profit from his notoriety was one of the main factors that pushed the artist to post his own painting for auction in the first place. He wrote on his Facebook page on December 20:

As if getting away with murder wasn’t enough, Remorseless George Zimmerman found a way to capitalize on his ill-gained celebrity by auctioning his “patriotic” painting on ebay. Even more astonishing, he found some well-heeled racist to pay $100,000 for it. The killer artist might not have paid for his crime, but he sure knows how to make crime pay. In response, I’m auctioning my painting on ebay (item#181285145260) & giving half the proceeds to The Trayvon Martin Foundation. I challenge George to do the same.

The following day, D’Antuono was contacted by eBay and had his item removed from the site. The artist posted the following note, dated December 22, on his personal Facebook page:

I’m sad to announce that ebay removed my “A Tale Of Two Hoodies” auction from their site. They allowed George Zimmerman to profit from his crime, yet I was denied the opportunity to speak out against racism & help victims. As the bidding started to gain momentum, passing the $25,000 mark, they took it off, deeming my auction “hateful and discriminatory.” If their stance seems wrong to you, feel free to share.

D’Antuono is no stranger to controversial imagery, and his stark imagery includes paintings of not-so-friendly pilgrims meeting Native Americans for the first time and blood-stained checks from the NRA being passed to politicians . But what remains unclear is why D’Antuono’s work in this instance was being targeted for removal?

While eBay’s letter cites the KKK imagery as the main reason for the removal, there remains numerous KKK-related images that are more graphic and hate-filled than D’Antuono’s painting, including photographs of lynching (like the image below) and numerous Klu Klux Klan-related items. This is a strange contradiction that the artist has pointed out on his own blog.

Hyperallergic has reached out to the artist and eBay for comment on the matter.

h/t @godVeveryone