In
a 1975 interview with The Sun, Walker said of the painting, “It’s a
picture of boredom. I was thinking about a guy smoking in bed. That’s
the only thing I ever saw obscene about it—the guy was smoking a
cigarette on a straw bed.”
The work was later purchased by Bernard “Ben” Adler, who displayed
the piece both at the Eagle Tavern in Bolton Hill and at Adler’s Place
Restaurant in Baltimore. It was finally acquired by local art collector,
Leonard Skolnik, who was a friend to local artists Glenn Walker, Jack
Bonsal and Leonard Skorko and remained in his collection until his
recent passing.
“In the Room” (lot 1213) proudly comes to auction
on October 1st, and it is hung on the wall for all to view. Relatively
mild in subject to today’s viewer, the history of the piece makes it an
important addition to any art collection, or Museum. Walker eventually
sued Mayor D’Alesandro to no avail, but the early controversy was just
the beginning in a long line of art censorship.