Internet Explorer 11 is not supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Erasing Maria Shriver

It seemed a little odd when Arnold Schwarzenegger decided his official painting as governor of California would feature his wife on a lapel pin. And then he tried to get rid of her.

The marriages of politicians, as we saw in the recent fiasco in Virginia, are often rather messy. There are hard demands to address. There are time management and financial issues that would strain a normal couple. Affairs are tempting and common.

Sometimes politicians learn to deal with this stuff, and then sometimes the relationships break down.

Last week in Sacramento Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his official portrait as 38th Governor of California. Something about it looked a little off. The painting, by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, featured a great big smudge on Schwarzenegger’s left lapel.

It’s a pretty obvious mark and sort of makes it look like the man had an accident with a wet sandwich before sitting down to have his picture done.

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gets a hug from John Masterson, 28, who has Down syndrome, after he unveiled his official portrait at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. The photograph-like giant image of the Republican governor was made by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein and will hang on the third floor of the Capitol. Masterson worked in the mail room when Schwarzenegger's was in office and continues to work there today. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Rich Pedroncelli/AP


Nope, it was his wife. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times:

When Arnold Schwarzenegger's official portrait was [first] done, there was a personal touch -- he was depicted wearing a lapel pin featuring the face of his wife, Maria Shriver.
“It was actually a cute gesture when he had it done," said Clay Russell, a former Schwarzenegger aide.
But the marriage disintegrated soon after Schwarzenegger left the governor's office in January 2011, prompting a modification in the portrait -- Shriver's face was erased.
But sort of badly erased. It almost looks like the mark on the massive acrylic painting was deliberate. The picture will hang on the Capitol’s third floor, next to that of Schwarzenegger’s predecessor, Gov. Gray Davis.

Schwarzenegger and his wife filed for divorce in 2011, though disputes about money have apparently keep them from finalizing it.

Portraits of the California governors are of widely diverse artistic quality, and often generate interesting reactions from observers. The official portrait from Gov. Jerry Brown's first time in office, for instance, was said by lawmakers to  look like it was painted with “spilled ketchup and soy sauce.”

In the future at least the kids touring the building will have something to remember about the Schwarzenegger picture; that’ll be the governor who turned his wife into a grease stain.

Daniel Luzer is GOVERNING's news editor.
Special Projects