Famous artist DEFACES painting with ‘Hitler moustache’ at Jesus College dinner

On Tuesday night, Jake Chapman drunkenly drew a ‘Hitler moustache’ onto a portait of Archbishop Cranmer during dinner at Jesus college.

The contemporary painter was invited to speak about Art and Philosophy at the College for students and fellows, hosted by the Fitzwilliam Museum Society. The vandalism occurred after hours of raucous arguments with fellows, which involved the artist swearing at and throwing napkins at them, to the delight of students present.

After the talk, Chapman joined for dinner at Jesus college when he grabbed a portrait of Archbishop Cranmer of the wall, drawing a ‘Hitler moustache’ with a Sharpie pen on Cranmer’s face and a flying skull on the back of the Canvas.

I did Nazi that coming

Students were apparently shocked at the artist’s actions, which happened after dessert and “what must have easily been ten glasses of wine”. However, onlookers let the artist continue in his fun, with the admission from the Fitzwilliam Society on their Facebook page that his actions “probably increased its value by a hundred times”.

It might be of some comfort to Cambridge’s miscreants that a ‘deanable’ offence may, in other circumstances, warrant adoration and praise from high art critics.

Jake Chapman – one half of the Chapman brothers – is a famous visual Artist who was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2003. They rose to prominence after their controversial artwork which appropriated the water colours painted by Adolf Hitler. Whether a connection exists between these earlier artistic pursuits and Champan’s actions at Jesus is currently unknown.

Artwerk

Izzy Kent, President of the Fitzwilliam Museum Society and present at the dinner, told The Tab: “It was a brilliant evening with a very boozy dinner after the talk. We were discussing how Jake would deface each of the paintings in the room.”

“There was the little print of Cranmer hanging high up. Cranmer was really a ‘Nazi’ when it came to art, banning polyphony, so Jake whipped out his pen and drew the Hitler moustache and fringe, then turned it over and drew on the back.”

“It was the embodiment of ‘singing for your supper’, but instead of music Jesus College got a free original Chapman work of art.”

We’re just glad the Artist didn’t grab one of the Master portraits by mistake. His painting would’ve been of less interest to art collectors, and more to the College dean.