Many of the artists contacted by HAG responded forcefully. Underneath a photo of Trump posing in front of a painting by Da Corte, the artist wrote: “Dear @Ivankatrump please get my work off of your walls. I am embarrassed to be seen with you.” Under a different post, Israel wrote: “Please stand with artists and so many people around the world who believe that America means equality for all people.” Lowman and fellow artists Cecily Brown and Rob Pruitt joined a HAG-organized march outside the Puck Building, which is owned by Trump’s husband’s family.
Part of the aggressive response by artists, of course, is the result of what's perceived as a rapid shift in tone by Trump and her husband. "No one could have anticipated [Donald] 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," said Brendan Dugan, the founder of bookstore/gallery Karma, which has exhibited several artists in Trump's collection. "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."
Indeed, for the many people who were happy to sell to Trump when she was a mere socialite and businesswoman, her newfound political profile has proved a powerful catalyst. “It’s a moment of reckoning,” Gingeras said. “Going forward, we need to think more carefully about how our work gets brought to the world, and who it’s sold to.”
Powers, in contrast, described the current predicament faced by many of the Trump-owned artists as inevitable. “I don’t think it’s particularly unique, this divide between people that make art and the people that collect it,” he said. “I think there’s probably a lot more Republicans buying art than there are making it.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.