HOME - EXHIBITION OVERVIEW - OBJECT LIST Sections: 1. Early Works in America - 2. War and Diplomacy - 3. Presidential Campaigns 4. Richard Nixon - 5. Sketchbooks - 6. Domestic Issues - 7. Recent Works 8. Works in Other Media - 9. Socks Album

‘Amateur!' June 9, 1974 Ink over pencil with paste-on on duoshade paper (4)

Attorneys for President Richard M. Nixon petitioned the Supreme Court many times during the Watergate investigation to challenge attempts by the grand jury "to charge an incumbent President as an unindicted co-conspirator in a criminal proceeding." Nixon made his thinking clear when, in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee on June 10, 1974, he rejected its subpoenas for evidence, invoking executive privilege and the doctrine of separation of powers. He argued that the doctrine took precedence over an impeachment inquiry and asserted his determination "to do nothing which by the precedents it set would render the executive branch henceforth and forevermore subservient."

On August 29, 1973, U.S. District Court Judge John J. Sirica ordered President Nixon to turn over tape recordings of presidential conversations involving the Watergate case, rejecting Nixon's claim of immunity from court processes. The following day, Nixon released a statement from the Western White House at San Clemente, California, saying that he would appeal Sirica's order. His friend and neighbor, Bebe Rebozo, was a real estate investor, hence the allusion to "land deals" at Nixon's feet.

‘Politics is hell, Bebe!' August 29, 1973 Ink over pencil with paste-on on duoshade paper (3)

[Richard Nixon victory salute] April 23, 1994 Ink and white out over pencil on layered paper Swann Fund Purchase (38)

Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the United States, died April 22, 1994, from complications of a severe stroke. The late president became Oliphant's signature image during the Watergate hearings in the early 1970s.

Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the United States, died April 22, 1994, from complications of a severe stroke. Nixon's career as a political figure and statesman spanned nearly five decades, including 20 years in which he held elective office as a congressman, senator, vice president, and president. His accomplishments were overshadowed by the legacy of the Watergate scandal. He was buried April 27, 1994, on the grounds of his birthplace in Yorba Linda, California, after a nationally televised funeral.

RMN. Lest we forget April 28, 1994 Ink and white out over pencil on layered paper (39)

‘I've got an idea for ‘96 I go back, I beg forgiveness, play the whole redemption bit, the reformed underdog back from hell, I get re-elected, we take over . . . ' September 17, 1994 Ink and white out on paper (41)

Oliphant envisioned come-back artist Richard Nixon making one more attempt at redemption and reelection from beyond the grave.

HOME - EXHIBITION OVERVIEW - OBJECT LIST Sections: 1. Early Works in America - 2. War and Diplomacy - 3. Presidential Campaigns 4. Richard Nixon - 5. Sketchbooks - 6. Domestic Issues - 7. Recent Works 8. Works in Other Media - 9. Socks Album