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Cellini forever enshrined at the Lincoln Museum * UPDATED x1 *

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An uncanny likeness of freshly indicted political power broker William Cellini is pictured in an oil painting at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

Dressed in a natty black suit, Cellini — a longtime state government insider who was indicted last week on corruption charges — is standing over Lincoln’s right shoulder, gesturing as if to make a point to the president as vote totals come for Lincoln’s 1864 re-election.

The museum won’t confirm that it’s Cellini in the picture — but it’s not denying it, either, since the artist has acknowledged putting friends and acquaintances in his work at the museum.

Look, the federal indictment against Cellini may not be as strong as it could be, and he most definitely deserves his day in court, but he’s always been a controversial figure in Illinois politics and completely associated with this state’s “pigs at the trough” image. He and Jim Thompson re-invented “pinstripe patronage” here

So, indictment or no indictment, forever memorializing him at the Lincoln Museum - of all places - is an abomination.

If you’ve ever read Paul Simon’s book “Lincoln’s Preparation for Greatness,” you know that back in the days when Lincoln was in the Illinois House, businesses which wanted to incorporate had to pass a bill through the General Assembly. As a result, lots of legislators got in on some free money by being made corporate directors. Lincoln never did.

Also, at a time when Illinois was still mostly undeveloped, the General Assembly routinely passed legislation opening up public lands for private developement and legislators usually were in on the scam. Lincoln only participated once, and he ended up losing money.

So, putting the king of pinstripe patronage in a painting of Abraham Lincoln that’s hanging at the Lincoln Museum is just wrong, on every level.

And when the Sun-Times asked if the Museum would remove the painting if Cellini was convicted, the paper got this response…

“It’s a piece of art, with no one saying it’s him or not. So no,” museum spokesman Dave Blanchette says.

What a crock.

Cellini and his wife have raised a ton of money for the museum, and Mrs. Cellini essentially oversees the museum via her chairmanship of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Cal Skinner discovered in January of last year that Julie Cellini’s visage is also in a painting at the museum.

These paintings cement our state’s reputation as almost beyond reform. Or, since it’s Cellini, perhaps it should be “asphalts” our reputation.

*** UPDATE *** Scott Reeder notes the irony at Gov. Blagojevich’s firing of Richard Beard, the director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, who was accused of shoplifting…

But the governor hasn’t been charged with any crime — so far.

If he ever is, let’s hope he holds himself to the same standard that he held Mr. Beard. Blagojevich fired him before a jury had ruled. Guilt or innocence was irrelevant — only the unseemliness of the accusation mattered.

Yes, it would be nice if politicians held themselves to the same standards they hold others. But, if I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath — just my nose.

* Related…

* Dear president-elect: Keep Fitzgerald here

* Showdown at Clout Corner

* Looking for Lincoln stuff

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:19 am

Comments

Rich… I really think you are making too much of the painting. I hardly think the museum needs to get rid of the painting because there may or may not be a likeness of Cellini within the painting.

Comment by Just Observing Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:29 am
It may be inappropriate, but is it really any worse than Renaissance or medieval artists using their patrons, friends or mistresses (some of whom had less than saintly reputations) to depict saints or other religious figures?

Comment by Secret Square Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:31 am
So Cellini was helping Abraham Lincoln too? Can the artist repaint just the portarit part so that Tom Petty stands off Lincoln’s right shoulder instead?

Comment by North of I-80 Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:31 am
Paintings can be taken down and stored in a closet (Rouge’s Galley). It seems much more difficult to remove the name of a convicted felon from the cornerstone of the Library.

Comment by Stone Mason Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:31 am
Rich, you are correct. Cellini has been getting rich at the public trough for over 40 years under multiple Governors but it took an association with 1 bumbleing knuckehead to get him indicted. Maybe we owe Blagoof a small thanks on this one.

Comment by Dan S, a Voter and Cubs Fan Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:34 am
Maybe it’s appropriate, given the accepted levels of government corruption in Lincoln’s day. Didn’t Lincoln himself say of one of his Republican contemporaries that “he would steal anything except a hot stove”?

Comment by Anon Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:38 am
I don’t see it as a big deal. The Cellini’s helped raise boatloads of money for the museum. While Mr. Cellini may have done some untoward things in other venues, it’s not inappropriate to memorialize him here in such an innocuous way (I wouldn’t know Bill Cellini–nor would the vast majority of museum guests–if he hit me).

On another note, your comments make me sad that we don’t have a strong spekesperson for political integrity like Paul Simon any more. I disagreed with almost every position he took, but I respected the man and his ethics so much.

Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:39 am
Rich, you complain too much. Isn’t it true that the “Lincoln” in the painting is none other than you - before you settled into your sedentary lifestyle?

Comment by phocion Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:41 am
lol

no

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:42 am
It’s the height of vulgarity. Can you imagine the ego that would permit it?

But you know what? Let it stay. Post an accurate description of who’s in the piece and how they got there. Let it be a permanent reminder to everyone on how things work here, just like the official portrait of George Ryan with his hand on the Capitol Dome candy jar.

What’s going to be in Blago’s official portrait?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:42 am
I am opposed to censorship.

It is not our place to pass judgement on an image deemed too similar in appearance to an individual we today judged unworthy of an image. It doesn’t matter to me if the image looks like Cellini, Mussolini, or Mohammed. We cannot pass judgement on public images when their appearance reminds us of someone we dislike at the moment.

An image of Chaplin among Hollywood stars in 1930 may end up reminding us of Hitler in 1940, but that would be taking the image out of context. An image of Cellini would be just as out of context in a fictional setting in 1860 with Lincoln. In 20 years, the same image may remind us of another individual - we just don’t allow ourselves this kind of censorship.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:42 am
Are other contemporaries depicted?

Comment by Bill Baar Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:46 am
Thanks for pointing out Paul Simon’s excellent Lincoln book–probably the best of the 20+ books written by one of our state’s finest senators.

Why doesn’t ALPLM do a “Where’s Waldo?” theme and you can pick out all the indicted people in every painting? Kind of sad heading into the bicentennial that ALPLM and other Abe things are getting headlines for all the wrong reasons…

Comment by Vote Quimby! Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:48 am
Corruption even finds its way into *art* in Illinois.

Wow — this is one messed up state.

Comment by Macbeth Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:49 am
Where’s Royko when you really need him?

Comment by Excessively rabid Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:51 am
wordslinger is on the money-why should anyone be concerned about a painting that accurately reflects the political corruption that is a significant force in Illinois politics? taking it down would demonstrate a vague conviction that such corruption doesn’t exist-at least the artist who was paid off for the image was projecting a sense of reality

Comment by red dog Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 9:53 am
If Cellini was as powerful as folks believe the museum would have walls of vertical prestressed asphalt instead of $5,000 per square Egyptian marble.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 10:02 am
This could be one fine fundraiser. $1,000 gets a headshot in the background for a large public painting in a prominent location, $10,000 gets you a full body shot standing next to Lincoln at Gettysburg in a display. Using PhotoShop type technology, you could move people in and out of paintings: $500 gets you a 6 month head shot in the Library scene plus a copy for your home computer or Christmas cards. Same deal as Cellini. Got a convention in town? Spot a member in the museum tour, win a Lincoln prize. From Japan? Get proof of your family’s connection to Lincoln in a museum painting.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 10:14 am
The same sort of thing has been proposed for baseball players who made the Hall of Fame during the “steroid” era, or Pete Rose’s induction into the HOF with consideration of his gambling habit.

Put an asterisk on it.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 10:16 am
I think we should open a new “Hall of Shame” Museum for all the elected officials, political bureaucrats, and corrupt businessmen/power brokers who have been convicted of perpetrating crimes against the body politic.

All other elected officials, high level appointed officiala, and major contractors doing business with all levels of government whould be required to tour the museum, as part of a comprehensive ethics reform.

Fitz, our 21st century “Untouchable,” should also be enshrined in the museum to suggest that crime may pay in Illinois , but if you do the crime, you’re going to do some time.

Comment by Captain America Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 10:42 am
I remember hearing the story of a town in Italy that still has a statue of Mussolini. The explanation given for leaving it in place was that he’s part of their history, and Italy is filled with statues of past political figures, some good, some bad. As long as we maintain a clear parallel between William Cellini and Mussolini, I figure it’s okay.

Comment by Thomas Westgard Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 10:48 am
This is WAY down the Lincoln Museum vulgarity scale when you consider George Ryan’s defilements and desecrations to it. From machinations in construction contracts to trying to make it a patronage dump (e.g., Ryan’s oafish push to install his chief of staff, Robert Newtson, as the library’s first director) to the appalling visual blight of seeing Ryan’s name on the cornerstone of the building whenever I enter the library, well, a stealth Cellini caricature tucked somewhere on a portrait is nuthin’, I tell ya. Nuthin’.

Comment by Dooley Dudright Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 11:13 am
i had some friends coming to town last week and they stopped at Pilot in Decatur to get gas and one of his kids said kind of out loud Dad whats that smell, before he could answer a guy behind them in line answered springfield

Comment by anon again Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 11:18 am
Now, that’s funny!

Comment by Bill Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 11:35 am
I saw Bill Cellini’s image on a taco, a grilled cheese sandwich and under the Kennedy Expressway at Fullerton too.

Comment by Anon Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 11:35 am
Anon-

Was the image under the Kennedy weeping?

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 11:41 am
It’s Art… not a big deal. I think there is art of G. Ryan & Blago in the capitol.

I think Bill Cellini and his wife Julie deserve a lot of credit for the mere existance of the Lincoln Museum. Most people do not realize the years upon years of effort the Cellini’s have made to make the Library & Museum a reality. Years upon years of work “behind the scenes”….

I have prediction, Cellini will not be convicted of the charges.

Comment by Larry Mullholland Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 1:42 pm
Might make a nice QOTD to posit what Rod’s official portrait should look like… I’m thinking a re-creation of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”.

Not just because Rod sees himself as the central figure, but that it lets you put all his co-conspirators and enablers in there beside him.

Comment by Art critic Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 1:48 pm
=$1,000 gets a headshot in the background for a large public painting in a prominent location, $10,000 gets you a full body shot standing next to Lincoln at Gettysburg in a display=

Give the Blagidiots a few days and this will be the new gimmick to balance the budget. AA’s only wonder is if Monk’s pal gets a cut under the great “naming rights and concessions” deal.

Personally, I thought that dude in the picture was Jimmy DeLeo.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 2:26 pm
Is it any worse than this?

Italo Balbo, the namesake of Balbo Avenue in Chicago’s south Loop, was a fascist party leader and close associate of dictator Benito Mussolini. As Mussolini’s Ministry of Air, Balbo attracted worldwide attention by leading the Italian Formation Flight from Rome to Chicago during the World’s Fair of 1933. Upon his arrival in Chicago, Balbo and his Italian flying unit were received as dignitaries and a street was named in his honor to commemorate the visit.

Comment by Just the Facts Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 3:41 pm
To see a much more beautiful and appropriate example of the same general principle, visit this site:

http://www.muralsbyjericho.com/murals/murals.htm

which depicts artwork at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Peoria. Click on individual pictures to see them in better detail.

Several of these murals include depictions of actual living or deceased parishioners. For example, the man standing behind Jesus (Nicodemus) in the mural of Christ being placed in the tomb has the face of a longtime church deacon.

The artists who did this project said that placing contemporary people in murals of this type was common in the time of Fra Angelico and other artists of his era (14th-15th centuries).

I simply want to point out that painting contemporary people into recreations of historical, religious or cultural scenes is not unusual, has been going on for centuries and can be done very tastefully.

In all probability, the artist who painted Bill and Julie Cellini into the Lincoln Museum pictures did so simply to honor their status as major benefactors and fundraisers for the museum, not with any regard or necessarily even any knowledge of his (alleged) crooked political dealings.

By the way, is it just my computer, or does the depiction of Bill Cellini as shown on the Sun-Times website make him appear to have a really bad case of five o’clock shadow?

Comment by Bookworm Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 5:50 pm
Bill, don’t forget our stinkers are your stinkers too. Cellini and Ryan spent plenty of time in Chicago, and then you have Fast Eddie. It’s a statewide odiferous organization, that’s for sure.

Comment by Disgusted Monday, Nov 3, 08 @ 8:19 pm