As Donald Trump took to social media to tear into a portrait of him as ‘truly the worst’, the average art enthusiast can be forgiven for feeling slightly bewildered.
The artwork, painted by Sarah Boardman and hanging in the Colorado State Capital, has been derided by the US President as ‘distorted’ to an extreme he has ‘never seen before’.
And while MAGA fans and art critics might take issue with the eyes – so dark they appear almost black – or the hair – somewhat wispy and a little lacklustre – Trump is instantly recognisable in the image.
It is undoubtedly the President’s face that stares down at the beholder, and while Trump might not like it, it’s arguably a rather flattering depiction of the 78-year-old.
For the likes of the royal family, former British prime ministers and global leaders around the world, Trump’s protestations will ring particularly sour.
At least his portrait is realistic – not featuring a round blob for a nose and missing the mouth entirely, like a 2006 painting of the late Queen Elizabeth. And it doesn’t feature him half-naked, like a much-criticised portrait of the late Prince Phillip.
That’s without even mentioning the collection of ‘paintings’ by previous White House president George W. Bush.
Here takes a look at some of the worst portraits of global leaders over the years and examines whether Trump’s outrage is justified – or he just needs some perspective.
Donald Trump – Sarah Broadman
Reacting to the portrait of himself hanging in Colorado, Trump wrote on social media to share his disgust.
‘Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves,’ Trump said on TruthSocial on Sunday night.
‘But the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor… was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.’
Trump said the artist behind the portrait, Sarah Boardman, also painted Obama during his stint in the White House, and managed to do a successful job.
‘He looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst,’ Trump wrote.
‘She must have lost her talent as she got older. In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.’
Trump claimed ‘many people from Colorado have called and written to complain’ about the unflattering artwork.
But the portrait is perfectly realistic, and many have been left questioning what the fuss is all about.
Vladimir Putin – George W. Bush
After picking up the paintbrush following his stint in the White House, Bush allowed the cameras an exclusive look into his work during an interview with daughter Jenna Bush Hager, a special correspondent with the Today Show.
Possibly most striking was a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin, staring stoney-eyed out of the canvas at the viewer.
Bush said he wanted to reflect the attitude he had towards Bush of ‘one-upmanship’, recounting a story in which Putin told him: ‘My dog is bigger than your dog’.
Although not a professional, Bush certainly captured Putin’s hollow eye sockets and cold, hungry look.
But the much-discussed artwork is devoid of colour, sapping any sign of life from Putin and making him almost corpse-like. His hair leaves much to be desired, with the collar of his shirt painted on such an angle it appears more like a V-neck T-shirt.
There’s no doubt Putin would not be a fan – although whether there is any portrait he would approve of is also up for debate.
Queen Elizabeth II – George Condo
George Condo’s 2006 portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II is perhaps one of the most universally hated paintings of royals in recent times.
The abstract artwork, which appears more like a cartoon character than real life, shows the late Queen with a puffed up, short face and a long neck while dressed in royal robes.
Somewhat insultingly, her nose is painted as a round blob and her cheeks are painted similarly, as if she were holding her breath.
Strangely there is no mouth depicted in the picture, no eyebrows, and a large bulbous chin.
Prince Phillip – Stuart Pearson Wright
Possibly the most bizarre painting of the late Duke of Edinburgh was revealed by Stuart Pearson Wright in 2004.
Featuring the prince bare-chested, it is set against a blue sky and includes a fly sitting on his shoulder and cress growing out of his finger.
The portrait was commissioned by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce – but Prince Philip declined to go to the artist’s studio and instead gave him four one-hour sessions at Buckingham Palace, rather than the suggested minimum of 20.
The lack of sitting time could explain the unflattering look – with a face so long it looks as if the prince had been stretched like a pole.
Meanwhile the nose is so large and throbbing it looks ready to jump out of the frame – perhaps in protest at the undignified look.
Tony Blair – George W. Bush
Bush has told how all the images of world leaders he has painted are meant in the ‘spirit of friendship’, and there is no greater representation of that than the portrait of Tony Blair.
The UK-US special relationship means it would have almost have been insulting for Blair – who was in office at the same time as Bush – not to have been included.
Although it features an unflattering hairline and a somewhat fuller face than reality, the portrait is certainly not the worst of the collection.
Perhaps President Trump should phone a friend and ask for his own portrait from Bush to hang in Colorado.
Princess Diana – Stella Vine
Amid the anger and furore of misinformation that followed the death of Princess Diana, one artist decided to channel it into her own work.
But few would have predicted this would have ended in a ghoulish-looking Diana with blood dripping from her mouth, accompanied by a message from beyond the grave.
Stella Vine painted a series of portraits of the late Princess Diana in the early noughties, with this one featuring in an exhibition at the Saatchi gallery in London.
Vine’s painting showed Dianna in a chin-high dress with statement puffed yellow sleeves, huge blue eyes and wearing her signature tiara.
Blood dripping from her lips appears to suggest the portrait is of a dead Diana, with blood-red writing taking over much of the frame.
‘Hi Paul, can you come over I’m really frightened’, the lettering reads.
Although Diana never saw the portrait, it is sure to have caused outrage amongst her loved ones – especially Prince William and Prince Harry.
King Charles – Stephen Lewis Gilmore
A portrait of the then-Prince of Wales by Stephen Lewis Gilmore attracted fierce criticism among royal fans after it likened King Charles to Henry VIII and suggested he had ‘beheaded’ the late Princess Diana.
The picture depicts Charles in 16-century garb and the style of hat worn by the ruler in portraits of his own.
He wears a giant gold chain which includes a medallion featuring a picture of Queen Camilla.
In the background can be seen Princess Diana, whose head has been chopped from her body.
The controversial work is probably the most disrespectful towards the monarchy seen in recent years.
Queen Elizabeth II – Peter Sigasby
Peter Sigasby’s interpretation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 immediately attracted criticism from all sides.
Unlike Trump’s inexpressive stance, the Queen is pictured grinning – which looks more like a leer – in an uncomfortable depiction of the monarch.
Her arms are strikingly different colours from her face, with one bright yellow and orange and the other verging on red.
The necklace she wears is off centre in a casual manner never associated with the late Queen, and her fingers appear strangely chubby.
For a man often the butt of jokes for his ‘orange’ skin, his portrait’s colouring is far better than Sigasby’s.
The best part about this portrait is the tiara on the Queen’s head which, unlike the rest of it, appears precisely accurate.
Hamid Karzai – George W. Bush
This portrait of former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is another example of Bush’s amateur work.
The politician is shown with black circles under the eyes which blend in to his caterpillar-like eyebrows – although Bush’s ear work certainly shows progress.
Karzai’s hat seems to have the shape of a house roof, and his moustache makes it appear he has no top lip.
Although the shape of the facial hair is eerily accurate, it doesn’t exactly look realistic.
Bush’s artworks are clearly better than many of us could do – but no-one can see Trump replacing his Colorado portrait with a Bush painting anytime soon.
Angela Merkel – George W. Bush
Former stalwart of German politics Angela Merkel has certainly had better portraits.
At least Trump’s portrait was physically accurate, and didn’t show one of his eyes as being an inch below the other.
With pursed thin lips and a frankly odd nose, the portrait is only vaguely recognisable through Merkel’s iconic hairstyle.
Her ghostly pallor is made worse by the bright red outfit Bush depicted her in – it’s doubtful she is requesting a copy of this painting.