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Bill Clinton

Published onSep 15, 2022
Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, 2000

Brian Duffy (American, b. 1955)

Marker on paper

In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

UM2019.87

 

Brian Duffy followed in the footsteps of “Ding” Darling and Frank Miller, serving as editorial cartoonist for the Des Moines Register from 1983 to 2008, when the position was eliminated due to budget cuts at the organization. In this caricature from 2000, Duffy presents then President Bill Clinton not as taking on animal characteristics as in some of the other examples in this exhibition, but rather adding a layer of ridiculousness to his character through his clothing or lack thereof. Still wearing his socks and shoes, the untucked business shirt and heart underwear allude to his most well-known scandal. How does Duffy’s image of Clinton, created while he was still in office in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, impact the lasting legacy of a president? What liberties would you take if drawing a caricature prominently featuring a person’s flaws, or perceived flaws?

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