‘Punk Hillary’ Sets Off Watch Dogs. Literally

The Art Miami exhibition was briefly shut down after security dogs reacted to a bag held by a participant. Anticipating something dangerously nefarious, security personnel were instead bemused by a satirical painting of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Entitled "Punk Hillary," the offending painting depicted the former presidential candidate with pink hair, dressed in a studded leather jacket with pink leopard spots and decorated with anti-Trump badges, including two patches creating the phrase "A Global Threat." The painting was housed in a pink neon frame.

Two tents — Art Miami and Context, a ‘sister art fair' — were shut down in precaution after the dog warning, as security officers ran the painting through x-ray, but found no suspicious substances.

"We had to err on the side of caution," claimed Art Miami director Nick Korniloff. Both tents were reopened some two hours later.

The punk-themed painting was accompanied by a similar piece entitled "Trump Pimp," depicting the president in a red zebra hat and matching tuxedo, wearing a massive golden dollar sign on a chain. The satirical painting of Trump was reportedly hanging in place when the canine alert occured.

​According to the Miami Herald, both artworks were done by the same Orlando-based artist: Scott Scheidly, and both were available for a mere $4,000. According to the paper, both artworks went to the same bidder.

​Scheidly has painted numerous world leaders and pop culture figures in a satirical manner, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, former US President Barack Obama, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and England's longest-reigning monarch: Queen Elizabeth II.

Florida-based gallery owner Ken Hashimoto stated that police were unsure what caused the dogs to react so strongly, the Herald reported.

"They have no idea," he said, laughingly adding that: "My thought is [that it was] a Republican bomb dog."