Irish Government Freaks Out Over Nude Portraits Of Prime Minister

Irish federal police are in the midst of an ever-growing scandal over the recent manhunt for an anonymous prankster who hung a nude portrait of Prime Minister Brian Cowen in the hallowed halls of the National Gallery.

The bizarre prank began when an artist (now identified as 35-year-old teacher Conor Casby) calmly walked in the front entrance of the Irish National Gallery carrying a shoulder bag. He perused a number of rooms before making his way to the National Portrait Collection of the National Gallery, which features paintings of Ireland's most famous citizens.

In addition to the nude painting, Casby also stuck up a prepared caption for the artwork, reading, "Brian Cowen, Politician, 1960-2008. This portrait, acquired uncommissioned by the National Gallery, celebrates one of the finest politicians produced by Ireland since the foundation of the state. Balancing a public image that ranges from fantastically intelligent analytical thinker to big ignorant fucker from Offaly, the [prime minister] proves to be a challenging subject to represent."

Casby had painted Cowen as he was sitting on the loo with a roll of toilet paper in his hand. The painter's attempts at lifting the country's spirits certain­ly worked as dozens of visitors to the gallery were left chuckling at the unorthodox artwork. One woman commented: "Well, at least that is one mess he has been able to clean up."

The unflattering picture hung for over an hour and hundreds of patrons of the gallery passed it believing it to be a genuine part of the collection. When the prank painting was spotted by security staff, they immediately took it down and brought it to the attention of gallery management. It later emerged that Casby had hung a second nude portrait of Cowen holding only a pair of purple briefs in the nearby Royal Hibernian Academy Gallery.

The incident quickly exploded into controversy after the Irish national police launched a full-scale investigation into the identify of the artist, seizing email records and demanding that news channels censor all coverage of the event. Government critics said it was a "shocking overreaction" for officers to demand that the TV program "Today FM" publicly apologize for covering the story and then surrender emails relating to the prank-- and that the whole affair constituted a menace to freedom of expression.

After his identity was discovered, Casby underwent lengthly questioning by police over the unauthorized hanging of the two nude portraits, but sources say he will not face charges. Casby was also forced to hand over five paintings of other senior politicians. TV producer Will Hanafin said the detective who demanded censorship of news coverage told him that "the powers that be wanted it done."

Critics condemned the police action as an appalling waste of resources. One said, "At a time when the majority of gangland murders remain unsolved, to have gardaí spending their time investigating what amounted to a practical joke that offended the Taoiseach’s ego is a scandalous waste of resources. The way this matter has been handled is more reminiscent of Russia in the 1930s than Ireland in 2009."