This article contains sexually explicit content.
The artist behind an infamous nude painting of Donald Trump claims that she was physically assaulted by a Trump supporter on Saturday. Illma Gore took to Instagram to recount the alleged attack.
“I was punched in the face by a man who got out of his car and yelled, ‘Trump 2016!’ in Los Angeles, just days after I returned home from London just down the road from my house,” wrote the California-based artist. Gore’s painting, titled Make America Great Again, was on display this month at Maddox Arts, a contemporary gallery in Mayfair, London.
Gore, 24, said she had filed a “detailed” police report about the man who punched her, who she claims drove off laughing.
The artist’s painting, which depicts the Republican presidential hopeful unflatteringly nude, attracted bids of over £100,000 at the London gallery. According to the Guardian, Gore has been threatened with a lawsuit if she sells the work of art, however, due to its resemblance to Trump.
Gore, who travelled to the U.K. after reporting a slew of death threats, said her proceeds from the sale will go to benefit Safe Place for Youth, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles.
“Though I encourage passion, opinion and emotion, especially though [sic] art, I think violence is disgusting,” Gore continued. “To live in a place where Facebook has given my address to an anonymous third party makes me feel like I am homeless again. This type of violence makes creatives feel like we live in a world where our individual creative input isn’t safe.”
Added Gore: “I am sad that this is the state of our America right now. I am sad that Trump, and many of his supporters, don’t find words enough to express their opinions—they need walls, waterboarding and punches.”
Make America Great Again was debuted by Gore on Facebook, but she removed it after receiving a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice. A listing for the painting was also reportedly taken down by eBay.
The controversial painting lies at the center of an ego-fueled debate over the size of Trump’s genitals. At a presidential debate in March, the Republican frontrunner fired back at Sen. Marco Rubio, who had previously remarked on the size of his hands. “[Rubio] referred to my hands, if they are small, something else must be small,” he said. “I guarantee you there is no problem. I guarantee.”
