Artist Josh Drummond who painted the Christopher Luxon portrait was raising funds for Kiwipal and Rainbow Youth. Journalist David Farrier first reported on the Luxon artwork last week on his website Webworm. No one from Trade Me was available for an interview but in a statement, James Ryan from policy and compliance said the artwork breached its guidelines. “I just thought it was weird because the painting isn’t meant to be sexually suggestive and graphic, it could mean pretty much anything. He said Trade Me’s reasoning for removing his artwork came across as hypocritical based on the types of items he found on its website, including Nazi regalia.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 10, 2024 16:42 UTC