Bankers commission nude portraits

LONDON, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- British banking titans aren't letting the financial crisis limit their demand for nude paintings of their wives adorned by newsprint collages, an artist says.

The news clippings are about their own financial exploits, and when stuck to the images of their naked spouses, make for an irresistible lure for the rich and vainglorious even nowadays, The Sunday Times of London reported.

Natasha Archdale, a model turned artist, creates the pieces by tearing strips from The Financial Times and other business news pages telling of the buyers' big deals and incorporates them into paintings that cost up to $25,000 apiece.

Archdale said she is finding the financial crash has brought a new form of vanity from bankers who are keen to celebrate the fall of their rivals.

"I am getting new commissions from people who want to mark these times," she told the newspaper.