Tulip owner Keely Newman says that a local mother's complaints are not the reason why a painting of a nude man was removed from the window of her Halsted Street store.
Tracy Bonthala complained about the painting and a chalk sign reading 'masturbate' displayed in the Tulip's window after walking past the store with her 7-year-old daughter. She took her concerns to a local newspaper. The painting was removed. The chalk sign, Newman assures, will remain.
'That's not going anywhere,' Newman said. 'That is only to provoke thought that it's OK and we don't consider this a dirty word.'
The owner argued that children are taken to the Art Institute every day, where there are many nude paintings. 'The Vatican has the largest collection of erotic art in the world,' she added. 'So, it's just patently absurd, period.'
'My position is very clear that this is an art gallery as well as a sex toy shop,' Newman said. 'That was a very serious piece of art that I put in the window, frankly, aside and apart from the word 'masturbate.''
In addition to her love for the piece's aesthetic value, Newman said the painting was also displayed to help attract male customers.
The Tulip on Halsted, 3448 N. Halsted, will have its first gallery opening of an artist who does erotic art on April 7. 'Those pictures will go in the window at some point, so we will probably start this all over again.'