| The Spear | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Brett Murray |
| Year | 2010[1] |
| Type | Acrylic on canvas |
| Dimensions | 185 cm × 140 cm (72.8 in × 55 in) |
| Location | Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg |
The Spear is a 2010 painting by Cape Town-based South African artist Brett Murray. Put on public display in 2012, it depicts the then South African President Jacob Zuma, his genitals revealed, in a standing pose reminiscent of Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin.[2] The painting triggered a defamation lawsuit by Zuma's party, the African National Congress (ANC).
The ANC's public condemnation of the painting and vandalism upon it brought widespread local and international attention to the painting, where otherwise it may have remained a relatively obscure piece of work.
- ^ "Why Zuma's Spear should stay up". Newzimbabwe.com. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ Govender, Peroshni. "Presidential penis portrait riles S. Africa's ANC". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.