The Internet Is Gleefully Superimposing Bernie Sanders’s Disheveled Inauguration Photo Onto Famous Works of Art—See the Memes Here

From the Phillips Collection to Marina Abramović, Bernie Sanders became part of a lot of art history yesterday.

Senator Bernie Sanders in the photograph that launched a million memes. Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images.

From youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman’s awe-inspiring performance to Jennifer Lopez’s unique rendition of “America the Beautiful,” there were more than a few show-stopping moments at yesterday’s presidential inauguration.

One of the most surprising scenes to grip the internet, however, was also one of the least star-studded: that of Bernie Sanders sitting cross-legged in a folding chair, wearing mittens, face mask askew, and looking as Bernie as humanly possible.

In his Burton Gore-Tex coat, sensible trousers, and mittens made from recycled bottles, Sanders dressed for comfort on a day when most guests opted for designer ensembles. He squinted slightly in the morning sun, and his eyes seemed to say, “The most famous people in the world are putting on a show for me, but I’d rather be back in my office writing policy.”

He was perched on the kind of simple black folding chair that turns gymnasiums into town halls on campaign trails. But yesterday, those chairs were, of course, positioned at intervals of six feet—which allowed a Getty photographer to capture the senator’s full pose in all its world-weary glory.

Since the photo first made the Twitter rounds yesterday morning, the cross-legged-and-bored Sanders has been inserted into works of art throughout history, from Edward Hopper to Georges Seurat. Check out a few of our favorite art-inspired Sanders memes below.


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