It was less than a year ago that the House of Representatives voted to censure longtime Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel for a series of ethic violations, which Rangel called "embarrassing" and "painful." Yesterday, Rangel chortled, "Anyone who wants to ask about the Ethics Committee, I'm not answering any questions," when his portrait was unveiled at the Capitol yesterday (the Daily News said that line was greeted with "applause and laughter"). more ›

Earlier today, we shared our concerns that former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's brand new portrait doesn't quite do him justice—and according to some, looks more like Gerald Ford or a bald Kevin Costner/Richard Gere. So commenter DevilForHire went ahead and tried to give the portrait a more Giuliani-esque flavor. If anyone else has their own renderings of the Giuliani portrait, email us at tips@gothamist.com. more ›

Yesterday, the official City Hall portrait of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani was unveiled. Giulaini joked, "You wonder why it took so long for my portrait to get painted. I'm superstitious about portraits. They're for dead people. I have this whole superstition. So [wife Judi] talked me into it. And you unveiled the portrait, I'm still here, I guess the superstition doesn't work." But he wasn't joking when he discussed 2012 with a reporter. more ›

First a Picasso takes in a record $106.5MM at auction, and now Andy Warhol's 1986 self-portrait has sold for $32.5MM, more than double its estimate. The art world is rich again! The 9-foot purple portrait sold at Sotheby's yesterday, where Tom Ford put it up on the block. The buyer is anonymous, but he/she just laid down the most money ever for a Warhol self-portrait. According to the NY Times, "the competition made for good entertainment. Six bidders wanted to buy." There are four other similar portraits out there, all in different colors; two are at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh (blue and yellow), one is at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (green), and newspaper magnate Peter M. Brant owns the red one. more ›

A Manhattan woman who has been keeping her Andy Warhol original in the closet for decades, has finally taken it out of the makeshift storage room so she can cash in. The painting (a self portrait) will go on the auction block at Sotheby's on November 11th. The woman was reportedly a receptionist in Warhol's factory at age 17, and in 1967 he gave her the painting, which is inscribed to her. Why sell such a personalized gift? It's estimated there are about one million reasons. more ›

Today, former governor George Pataki unveiled his official portrait (the one with the smile he doesn't like) in Albany, but PolitickerNY reports that he refused to partake in speculation about his potential entry into next year's elections. Pataki said, "It would be premature to answer hypotheticals. This is not a day for politics. This is a day to recognize Governor Paterson for his graciousness and to thank the people of the state for the great privilege. Politics can wait." more ›

Adam Kuban at Slice took this cute photo yesterday of pizza artisan Dom DeMarco plying his trade at legendary Midwood pizza destination Di Fara. We're sharing it as a reminder that, to paraphrase Zooey Glass, there are still nice things in this world of death panels and Espadas. The only way this little scene could be improved upon is if the portrait, by artist Andy M. Sachs, featured a little infinity mirror effect by including the same portrait hanging on the wall in the painting. Woah. Oh, and if we had some hot five dollar slices right now. more ›

Raise your one-gloved hand if you believe that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, only ever had one portrait of himself done in his entire lifetime. One couple is claiming they hold the one and only painting MJ ever posed for, and CityRoom reports that it's, unsurprisingly, now up for sale. It last sold nearly twenty years ago for $2.1 million, and it's now on display in a Harlem car showroom (at Lenox Avenue and West 129th) after being kept in storage in New Jersey. Classy! Just like the masterpiece itself. The portrait is by Brett-Livingstone Strong, a friend of Jackson's whose other work you can see here, and is currently owned by toy inventors Marty Abrams and John Gentilly. They say the painting hasn't drawn many crowds, because “we don’t put a big sign in the window, ‘Michael Jackson Painting Here.’” Speaking of New Jersey toy collectors with connections to Michael Jackson, under the June 28th entry here, a significantly lesser known musician discusses his dinner with the King of Pop at a toy inventors home in New Jersey. more ›

After detailing how former governor Mario Cuomo is reluctant to sit for his governor's portrait, the NY Times takes a look at George Pataki's new governor's portrait. Painted by Andrew Lattimore at a cost of around $50,000 (not paid by the state but the former governor's campaign funds or PAC), Pataki is shown standing in front of the Hudson River, wearing a suit (he was initially going to wear jeans with a jacket and tie) and U.S. and NY State flag pins. Lattimore explained why he had Pataki looking "towards the sun... The light, the future, he’s looking towards the warmth and hope of what tomorrow can bring." The subject likes it, though Pataki hates one thing: "I look at the smile and go eww. I know it’s crooked all the time — not me — the smile.” As for whether Cuomo will ever sit for his painting, Pataki offered "governor-speak," "“I’m sure when he deems it appropriate, he’ll do it." more ›

It's been 14 years since Mario Cuomo left the Governor's Mansion, but he still hasn't taken time out to sit for his official Governor's Portrait. According to the NY Times, while successor George Pataki's portrait will be unveiled next year, Cuomo is a bit more modest. He "suggested he found the whole idea pompous. He also said he had no patience for posing: 'I went to electric razors so I would not have to look at myself in the morning.'" But the State is impatient --and may chose a image of Cuomo that might not be flattering to avoid having a "12-year blank" in the gallery of governors past. Illustrator Thomas Fuchs offers some illustrations of Cuomo in the style of Warhol, Mondrian, Picasso and R. Crumb, and CityRoom is welcoming readers' submissions of Cuomo portraits, too. Slightly related: Even former NJ Governor James McGreevey has his official portrait! more ›

For the captain of industry who has everything, what better gift than a nude portrait made from Financial Times articles about them? For $30,000 and up, artist Natasha Archdale (pictured) will turn the business rag into the likeness of your loved one, just like she did for the wife of billionaire financier Stephen Schwarzman. The nude portrait was a gift from Iceland's first lady, who tells Bloomberg News she has “yet to meet someone who does not want a naked picture of their loved ones with text about themselves.” It now hangs in Schwarzman's Park Avenue home “between a Rembrandt and a Picasso,” but who knows – maybe Schawarzman can get it installed at the New York Public Library, where his name will soon be emblazoned in five places. more ›