Painting of Late Mayor in a Bra Sets Off Furor
Outraged City Council members voted Wednesday to cut off funding to the Art Institute of Chicago until it permanently removes a painting that depicts the late Mayor Harold Washington garbed in women’s lingerie.
Aldermen said the controversial artwork, painted by a student of the School of the Art Institute, was offensive, but students at the school accused the city of violating their First Amendment right to freedom of expression.
The painting depicts the late mayor in a standing position, wearing only a bra, panties and a garter belt supporting sheer white stockings.
“Half the city is still in mourning,” Alderman William Henry said. “You’re going to tell me it’s art?”
The painting was impounded by city police “for security reasons.”
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