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It's always interesting to read of the gifts exchanged by world leaders at their official meetings. Famously, when Barack Obama met Gordon Brown in 2009, he presented him with a set of classic movie DVDs, in response to Brown's more thoughtful gift of an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet. After the media stir Obama's perceived snub to Brown received, David Cameron must have thought long and hard before deciding on his gift for his meeting with Obama this week. So what did he end up getting? A piece of grafitti art, naturally.
The artwork is by Ben Eine, who is famed in London for his distinctive alphabet letters, which are painted on shop shutters across the city. The work, shown above, is titled Twenty First Century City, and, according to a report on the BBC News site, Eine is "one of the PM's wife Samantha's favourite artists". Eine, in response to the news, said it had been a "weird day". Indeed. Is this the end for graffiti art's anti-establishment credentials?
Perhaps smarting from media rollicking that he received after his gift to Brown, Obama has upped his gift-giving game this time around, and also followed the art route, gifting Cameron an Ed Ruscha painting, titled Column with Speed Lines.
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12 Comments
Yep, Dave's down with the kids all right, just like Blair and his rockin electric guitar!
2010-07-21 17:28:42
If Mr Cameron is such a fan of modern graffiti culture maybe he should do something about the ridiculous sentences given to graffiti writers recently. In some cases people with rape get less time in prison...
2010-07-21 19:43:06
I've heard that Barack Obama has stated that he likes Obey aka Shep Fairey (graffiti and print artist) 's work also :) said that he liked seeing his work whether it was hanging in a gallery or on the back of a stop sign.
2010-07-22 09:26:13
I've heard that Barack Obama has stated that he likes Obey aka Shep Fairey (graffiti and print artist) 's work also :) said that he liked seeing his work whether it was hanging in a gallery or on the back of a stop sign.
2010-07-22 09:26:50
Cameron will be laughing all the way home. Lucky blighter. Id have the Ruscha any day. I'd love to say something sarcky about SamCams visual taste but I'll keep it to myself.
2010-07-22 10:02:41
Fully agree with Gill's comment. I find the hypocrisy surrounding the government/media's attitude towards graffiti sickening. Banksy seems to have his work protected by perspex and appears to be untouchable by the law because he sells his work for thousands whilst artists like DWS and Amuk are branded yobs and thrown in prison for obsurd sentences.
2010-07-22 10:35:12
Send our apologies to Eine. We are talking about someone attracted to David Cameron here after all. Personally, I'm glad the PMs wife is such a fan though - presumably it means that she'll be stepping up in support for any artists and the writers out there currently being threatened with police action before the Olympics in East London. I'd really hate to think that in the process of sanitising the east that they managed to destroy the very culture that lead to Eine creating something that our David’s Samantha is a fan of.
2010-07-22 11:08:04
What a complete hypocrite! David Cameron should spend his time amending the ridiculous punishments given to graffiti artists today. Graffiti is predominately street art and a valid form of expression. If David's wife is such a supporter maybe she should dedicate some time to stopping the persecution of this art form, rather than trying to come across as cool conservatives who relate (or rather do not) to their public. They littered our streets with ugly conservative campaign posters and billboards which drowned out the political opposition for their own ends, but 'real street art' has the artists thrown in jail. Pot calling the kettle Cameron. Stick to what you know, or in this case what you don't know.
2010-07-23 13:21:49
Considering the massive cuts Scamerons gov are forcing on the Arts I think he's somewhat of a hypocrite.
2010-07-23 13:55:11
If I'm wrong, Mr Cameron, I retract this statement and apologise, but my guess is we probably all pay for these gifts and I'd rather see you claim just 50p expenses for a piece of paper and an HB pencil so you can draw something for Obama yourself - it'd be more thoughtful and then the hundreds or thousands you save by not buying art can be given to someone who really needs it.
2010-07-23 15:45:14
He didnt buy it. Nobody bought it. Gifts from the PM to his host are donated. This guy Eine didnt get a penny for this piece, however I gather he is now raking it in. A market has been created. Woo-Hoo! Where can I get one?
2010-07-26 12:57:39
I think the hoo-ha was around the fact that the DVDs Obama gave to Brown were Region 1, which won't play on a UK Region 2 DVD player! Good going, film industry!
2010-07-27 09:46:38
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