Salon.com > artist http://www.salon.com Sat, 25 May 2013 20:30:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 George W. Bush’s art teacher says he’ll “go down in the history books as a great artist” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/george_w_bushs_art_teacher_says_hell_go_down_in_the_history_books_as_a_great_artist/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/george_w_bushs_art_teacher_says_hell_go_down_in_the_history_books_as_a_great_artist/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:54:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13223325 After a hacker shared emails that revealed former President George W. Bush likes to paint portraits of himself in the shower, Fox 5 in Atlanta has followed up with a very special report from a woman who spent one month teaching him how to paint. "He picked it up so quick, it was amazing, actually," says Bonnie Flood. The prolific dog painter ("He started out painting dogs, and I think he said he's painted over 50 dogs," said Flood) is "going to go down in the history books as a great artist."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/george_w_bushs_art_teacher_says_hell_go_down_in_the_history_books_as_a_great_artist/feed/ 77 Chinese artist activist refuses to pay $1.1 million fine http://www.salon.com/2012/09/27/chinese_artist_activist_refuses_to_pay_1_1_million_fine/ http://www.salon.com/2012/09/27/chinese_artist_activist_refuses_to_pay_1_1_million_fine/#comments Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:27:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13023305 BEIJING (AP) — Activist artist Ai Weiwei said he does not intend to pay $1.1 million demanded by Beijing tax officials after he lost a final appeal in the case on Thursday, a defiant stance that threatens further confrontation with authorities.

Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court rejected a second and final appeal of the $2.4 million fine levied against Ai's design company for alleged tax evasion. The company earlier submitted a financial guarantee of $1.3 million to officials in order to get a review of his case. That money will be automatically collected, Ai said, but he won't pay the difference.

"Our intention is that we are not going to pay," Ai said. He said he wasn't sure what will happen as a result and still had to discuss the plan with his lawyers.

The internationally known artist, who has long used his fame to highlight injustice, and his supporters have interpreted the penalty as official retaliation against his activism. The fine was levied last year, soon after he was released from detention in an overall crackdown on dissent.

Ai and his company, Fake Cultural Development Ltd., accused the tax bureau of violating laws in handling witnesses, gathering evidence and company accounts. The court rejected those claims, and the ruling cannot be appealed again.

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