22″ x 31″
56 cm x 79 cm
White pencil on black acrylic on board
2022
“Before I was famous I had a whole bunch of jobs where all I needed was boots. People would look right past me, or if they did look at me, it was with a mean look. But when I got famous, people would look at me and smile and wonder where they knew me from. If they flat-out recognized me, they’d laugh and dance like they’d won a prize, and I’d just stand there and smile and feel warmth from their love. So the fame made the world, which is a real cold place, a little less cold.”
― Norm Macdonald, 1959-2021
The artwork is currently on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. On September 17th 2022 (which would have been Norm’s 68th birthday), a 23 year-old climate activist by the name of Louis Brocklebank, disguised as an old woman in a wheelchair, threw a cheese sandwich at the painting, and then proceeded to shout nonsensical statements before being apprehended by security. NYPD were called to the scene and Mr. Brocklebank was charged with vandalism and disturbing the peace. Fortunately, the work was not damaged in the attack due to a thick layer of protective glass. Bob Loblaw, curator of the exhibition, told reporters after the incident, “I know that the scriptures tell us, ‘judge not lest ye be judged’ but I’m just going to go ahead and say it, this Louis Brocklebank guy, … this guy is a real jerk.”
