103145 | UNITED STATES. "A Square Peg in an Oval Office..." aluminum Medal.

103145  |  UNITED STATES & GREAT BRITAIN. "A Square Peg in an Oval Office..." aluminum Medal. Issued 2005 (75mm x 72mm x 25mm, 162.03 g). By James MaloneBeach for the British Art Medal Society.

 

On the obverse, a circular image of George W. Bush within clear plastic disk; all set into an aluminum cube; on the reverse, a clear plastic vial of crude oil; all set into the same cube; on the sides, A SQUARE PEG | IN AN OVAL OFFICE | OR THE MAN | WHO WOULD BE KING. Edge: 12 MB (in addition to the above legend).

 

Atwood 184; The Medal 47 (Autumn 2005), p. 103, and serving as the art on the back cover. As Made. A very intriguing and provocative piece that drips with intense satire and is serially numbered 12 from an output of just 37 pieces.

 

Ex David Nicholas Silich Collection, Part II.

 

The writeup in the Autumn 2005 issue of The Medal offers this about the artist and his contribution to the series: "The American artist James MaloneBeach (or Beach, as he is generally called) worked primarily as a jeweller and enameller before turning to medallic objects in the 1980s. His medals were first shown at the FIDEM exhibition in Helsinki in 1990, and he has since become a regular exhibitor. For a survey of the artist's medals, many of which include political statements, see Cory Gillilland's article, 'Beach', in The Medal, 46 (2005), pp. 60-73. The artist writes: 'When I first considered making a medal for BAMS, I immediately thought of the current US administration and how its policies have almost more international ramifications than simply national ones. A medal on this topic would be likely to have mass appeal. Because of my strong disagreements with this administration and its 70% disapproval rating worldwide, I wanted an equally strong medal. I also wanted a simple, uncomplicated medal to symbolize the administration. I first thought of using bronze but it is very expensive; why bankrupt two organizations unnecessarily if the medal does not sell any better than the current US politics? My second choice of metal was stainless steel, but it has too much integrity, so I settled on aluminum, which is less substantive. I also wanted to somehow include petroleum as part of the medal. A vial of crude oil from Saudi Arabia is inserted in each medal. This is important to me because my friends and I often talk about how, rather than blood, oil runs in Mr. Bush's veins. If this is true, the medal is a reliquary. In thinking of an appropriate title for the medal, my first idea was The Madness of King George. I thought that this would give the medal historical significance but I also feared that it could nourish Mr. Bush's delusions of grandeur. In conversation at the FIDEM congress in Portugal, a BAMS member indicated that he liked the idea for the medal but added a comment about a 'square peg in an oval office'. This phrase, modified from 'a square Peg in a round hole', truly exemplified my feelings for the president. I asked for permission to use his inspired title and he granted it. The legend around the medal reads A SQUARE PEG IN AN OVAL OFFICE OR THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING."

 

Upload: 5 May 2025.