G20 wags' risky trip to the Warhol Museum

The G20 partners could be confronted with some biting satire if they get lost in the Andy Warhol Museum

While their other halves will be discussing the world's problems at the G20 summit, their partners will be taken on a tour of Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol museum.

This is a diplomatically risky venue.

The official "spousal programme" at the museum is fairly anodyne - they will be encouraged to make silk-screens of one of Warhol's images on a bag. But if any of the G20 wags (the two husbands tend to stay away) go wandering around the corridors of the museum they could be in for a nasty surprise.

To coincide with the summit, the museum is featuring an exhibition of international political cartoons, which include some caustic and racy images of the G20 leaders.

It's just as well Silvio Berlusconi's estranged wife, Veronica Lario, will not be among the group.

One of the images on show, by the Irish catoonist Martyn Turner, features Gordon Brown and Barack Obama reviewing their mistakes and miscalculations while Berlusconi reviews a naked image of Miss Italy.


The exhibition features acerbic cartoons about almost all of the G20 countries. Among the subjects for satire are: Argentina's public health record; Australia's treatment of Aborigines; deforestation in Brazil; Canada's feeble clean air act (complete with unflattering portrayal of prime minister Stephen Harper meekly farting); and France's economic policies (featuring Nicolas Sarkozy as a rapacious vampire).

There is less potential for diplomatic embarrassment in the rest of the G20 spousal itinerary.

Michelle Obama will welcome the wives, girlfriends and the odd first husband to a dinner tonight at the Rosemont Farm, home of Teresa Heinz, the philanthropist and wife of former US presidential candidate John Kerry.

There they will be entertained by a jazz trio and eat some of the produce of the farm.

After the trip to the Warhol museum, if they haven't huffed off, they will be treated to a school musical version of Les Misérables and performances by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and country musician Trisha Yearwood.

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