LIVEWIRE director of the National Portrait Gallery, Angus Trumble, proved himself a nifty dancer last year in the behind-the-scenes at the NPG entry in the international “Museum Danceoff” video contest (it’s on YouTube).

Now he’s raising eyebrows again with the revelation on Radio National’s “Books and Arts Daily” that his own portrait had been painted by Yale-based artist Jonathan Weinberg, famous for his salacious nudes, especially of men and for his writings on queer art.

Inspired by François Boucher’s 18th century “Blonde Odalisque”, he depicted Trumble lying stomach-down on a chaise.

“Saucy” is how radio host Michael Cathcart described the picture. The unapologetic Trumble is joining broadcaster Friona Gruber in presenting a series on “Australian Portraits.”

A feast of apostrophes

CC’s snout extraordinaire Pierre the Lair reports from Weston Creek: “English-as-a-second-language speakers can be excused, but what about the dills who designed and printed these?”

April’s caravan moves on

AFTER four and a half years at a few venues and pop-up places around town, Canberra’s queen of vintage Netti Vonthethoff is calling it a day and closing her April’s Caravan business at Bailey’s Arcade with a big 50 per cent discount sale that ends the day the shop closes, Sunday, April 15.

“One last hurrah for all you beautiful people,” she says.

Citing heartbreak at the decision to close, April’s Facebook says: “Everybody who has ever come into one of the many spaces we’ve called home, stopped by at a festival, painted a wall, laid a lino floor, helped to hoist up vines to ridiculous places – April loves you all.”

Banners gone, peace reigns

THE insensitive advertising banners festooning the front of the Australian War Memorial have gone.

Last month CC queried their presence – promoting the AWM’s own shows – asking if the memorial was a sacred shrine to our nation’s fallen or just another Canberra gallery?

To its credit, the memorial has answered that question decisively.

Dancing the clouds away

FIVE of the past six Yass Picnic Race days have been cancelled or cut short by rain. This year the Yass Picnic Race committee is taking things into their own hands – or feet – to make sure it’s a sunny day, all day, on race day, Saturday, February 28.

“We’re asking everyone to join us in a rain dance, to keep the rain away on race day!” says committee member Cyrus Smith.

“We’re basically hoping our dance is so bad that it puts the rain off for a day! So if you’re coming to the races, or you’re just a really bad dancer, bring your esky and pack a picnic for a great day of racing under the trees at the Marchmont Racecourse. Strictly BYO.”

Gates open 10am, first race 12.30pm, tickets at the gate.

Barking from Melbourne

POOR old battered, depleted and cost-sensitive Taxation Office hasn’t the local resources to tell us that 50.3 per cent of ACT workers are wasting money on fees because they have more than one superannuation account. They’ve had to engage a Melbourne “integrated public relations and communication agency” to develop strategies “that effectively cut through the clutter” to do their barking.