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Ivanka Trump: Artists Want Their Works Removed From Her Walls, ‘Embarassed’ To Be Associated With Donald Trump

By Tito Ojo-Medubi
Published on: 02:57 PST, Dec 22, 2016

Before the elections, artists were proud to sell their art to Ivanka Trump, now that her father is about to be president they are asking her to take them down from her walls.

According to the Daily Mail, the unconventional crusade was initiated by the Halt Action Group and is made up of artists as well as activists and curators. The group founded by Bill Powers, Jonathan Horowitz, and Alison Gingeras launched an Instagram feed captioned “Dear Ivanka” where they repost images of Trump and the dangers that come with him being president. The group is asking Trump through his daughter to cease his divisive and spiteful rhetoric.

“Dear Ivanka, we need to talk about your dad. Racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny and homophobia are not acceptable anywhere—least of all in the White House…Hate has no place in the White House. We refuse to wait and see. We look to you as the voice of reason.”

Some artists were less courteous. Alex Da Corte, an artist from Philadelphia, contacted Ivanka on Instagram and told her to take his works off her walls because he was embarrassed to be associated with her now that her father was in line to be the 45th president of the United States. Recently, Ivanka had posted a picture of her on the social media platform standing next to a Da Corte piece in her home.

“Dear @Ivankatrump please get my work off of your walls. I am embarrassed to be seen with you.”

Ivanka Trump, an avid art collector, has amassed plenty of artful pieces which are evident in the pictures she shares on social media according to Bloomberg. Artists were once proud of being patronized by Trump’s eldest daughter. However, the story has changed with her father in line to be historically the most unpopular president in American history.

According to art dealer Bill Powers, many artists also believe that their works are being used to carve a personal brand for the 35-year-old heiress who will play pole position in her father’s empire.

“I think there are a lot of artists that are uncomfortable now being incorporated, or leveraged as part of the Ivanka Trump brand.”

The art world has long since speculated about the artistic tastes of Ivanka after she started working with top New York art adviser, Alex Marshall. They believe that it is under Marshall’s direction that Ivanka has been posing in pictures with art pieces strategically in the background.

Her Instagram page highlights many instances of this. In one post, she is by a Dan Colen “chewing gum painting that she bought for $578,500. Another post captures her son and daughter playing the piano in front of Nate Lowman’s $665,000 bullet-hole painting. In another post, the 35-year-old who is allegedly worth $150 million from her businesses is at the dining table with a masterpiece by Alex Israel. A similar painting sold by the art genius in 2014, went for $581,000.

On November 28, HAG organized a protest march outside the Puck building owned by the Kushner family. Ivanka is married to the eldest son, Jared, publisher of the New York Observer newspaper. Over 500 people carried placards and expressed their concerns over the incoming president.

Brendan Dugan, founder of the Karma bookstore and gallery, said he understood the rationale behind the protests, adding that the art world was unnerved by the president-elect, but even more disturbed that one of their foremost clients, Ivanka happened to take a strong stand with him. He said the art world wanted to express their disapproval about the whole situation.

“No one could have anticipated Trump’s policies and how horrible he’s turned out to be, and no one could have anticipated that his daughter and son-in-law would agree with him. The real argument is that the art world is primarily a marketplace, and if you have money, people will sell you things. I think maybe this is a wake-up call.”

[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]

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