In a special election issue of New York Magazine, republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gets the taste of a striking takedown. Designed by socially-minded anti-Trump artist, Barbara Kruger, Trump’s face is on the cover with a big red banner reading “LOSER” plastered across it.
The cover features a close-up black and white photo of the billionaire real estate developer. The photo is typical of Kruger’s work, with simple and cutting juxtapositions of word and image.
Many say the description is likely taken from Trump’s obsession of winning and calling his adversaries the big “L,” or “losers.”
The Interpretation
According to editor-in-chief Adam Moss, the image can be explained in several ways.
Moss said, “We were drawn to it, in part, for the three ways in which it could be interpreted: as Trump speaking (single word epithets being his specialty); as a description of Trump; and as a call on the election result. On this latter point, who knows – and we confess to being a little rattled when the Comey letter news broke just as were shipping it.”
“But in the end we felt that the power of Kruger’s image transcended any one meaning you could read into it. The issue analyzes many aspects of Trump’s extraordinary candidacy, and an important point is spelled out in the headline we appended to the bottom corner: Trump has already changed America, not much for the better. Which adds a fourth meaning: in that sense we are all losers too.”
This is not the first time that Donald Trump has been on the cover of New York Magazine. Just one year ago, the magazine ran the story “Donald Trump Is Saving Our Democracy,” by Frank Rich. Trump appeared on that cover wearing a flaxen wig, cravat and waistcoat. Then in April this year, he appeared on the cover as a puppet-master. There have also been other Trump covers in the past.
Who is Barbara Kruger
Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual artist. The 71 year-old artist is prominent for her black-and-white photographs overlaid with declarative captions. Kruger was the source of inspiration for Supreme’s beyond-iconic box logo, which James Jebbia created back when the first Supreme store opened in NYC in 1994.
Her other iconic works include “Money Makes Money,” “Plenty Should Be Enough,” and “Your Body Is A Battleground.”
