In a stunt that has many Irish citizens laughing, an anonymous artist walked into Dublin's National Gallery and Royal Hibernian Gallery and hung up two portraits of Brian Cowen, the Irish Prime Minister — naked.

The artist reportedly entered the National Gallery carrying a shoulder bag and then hung his portrait, along with a prepared caption, among portraits of other Irish notables Michael Collins, William Butler Yeats, and Bono. According to the Times (London), security did not disturb him.

The picture of Cowen wearing only his glasses and holding a roll of toilet paper hung for more than an hour before security guards removed it and police were called. Many visitors thought it was part of the collection.

The caption included such mocking lines as, "Balancing a public image that ranges from fantastically intelligent analytical thinker to Big Ignorant F***er from Offaly, the Taoiseach proves to be a challenging subject to represent."

The artist then hung a second portrait, of Cowen holding up a pair of underwear, in the Royal Hibernian Gallery. One visitor liked the painting so much that she made an offer for it.