Artistic licence... and a new take on leaders' wives

By Mike Merritt / article from Scotland on Sunday / 07 march 2010

"GORDON Brown and David Cameron might have to get their chequebooks out. Raunchy paintings of their wives are to go on show in Glasgow next month and the political leaders may want to preserve the modesty of their other halves.

The canvases of Sarah Brown and Samantha Cameron have been painted by artist Laetitia Gilbaud, who caused a stir last year with her depiction of Scottish health minister Nicola Sturgeon in a racy red outfit, brandishing a whip.

The deputy first minister's partner came to her rescue by buying the work when it went to public auction for £1,500.

Now the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition at Westminster will be faced with the same dilemma when the paintings of their wives are also put on public display. The spouses of US president Barack Obama and the French premier Nicolas Sarkozy also appear as part of a series on leaders' wives. (...)

Brown is painted – in Waiting For Gordon – relaxing on a bed, with a wine glass in hand, waiting for the day when she meets her notoriously workaholic husband. She has sexy suspenders and a short skirt.

Cameron, in Lady in Waiting – The Lady in Blue – flashes a pair of Union Flag knickers, while Sarkozy's wife, former model Carla Bruni, is drawn in a petite French outfit, wearing black gloves and clutching a glass of champagne. (...)

The paintings will go on show at the Braewell Galleries, in Glasgow, in April. Guilbaud said: "I am fascinated by powerful women and there are not many more powerful than Sarah Brown, Samantha Cameron, Carla Bruni and Michelle Obama. (...)

Marcus Macleod, curator of the exhibition, said: "I welcome Laetitia's work with open arms. It is created in the spirit of this unique exhibition and hopefully will be received in this way."

These are not the first controversial paintings by Guilbaud. Her recent picture of singer Susan Boyle depicted the Britain's Got Talent runner-up in tiger-skin stockings, resplendent in racy pink underwear, smoking a cigar and with a champagne flute in hand – two vices she professes not to have.

Guilbaud famously painted Sturgeon in a saucy portrait – called Naughty Nicola, which was bought by her partner Peter Murrell. The painting even sparked an unusual bidding battle between the SNP and Labour – over owning the work. It emerged that a Labour MSP tried to buy the risqué picture. But it was purchased eventually by Murrell, the SNP's chief executive. In fact, there were more than a dozen bidders for the work which depicts the deputy first minister as a very different kind of chief whip.

Murrell said at the time: "Laetitia Guilbaud is a very talented artist. Nicola was tickled by the painting."

© 2008-2012 Laetitia Guilbaud