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article news schedule Apr 28, 2025 visibility 10 link 3 artists

Russian artist reveals portrait Putin commissioned him to make as gift for Trump

Russian artist Nikas Safronov revealed a portrait of Donald Trump commissioned by Vladimir Putin as a gift for the U.S. president. The painting depicts Trump after the July 2024 assassination attempt, with blood on his face and fist raised, against a U.S. flag and Statue of Liberty backdrop. Safronov confirmed Putin personally conveyed the importance of the order, and the portrait was delivered via Trump envoy Steven Witkoff. The Kremlin pool journalists posted the image, and Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the gift.

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What can a ‘poorly-made’ Stalin sculpture tell us about Putin's Russia?

A full-length sculptural relief of Joseph Stalin was reinstalled in Moscow's Taganskaya metro station as part of efforts to restore original designs. The work, a 3D-printed copy of a 1950 original, has been criticized by art historian Elizaveta Likhacheva as poorly made and crudely painted. Visitors have laid flowers at the site, while critics note that over 95 Stalin monuments have been installed under Vladimir Putin's rule, including in occupied Ukrainian territories.