$400,000 Art or Nude Scandal? Clifton May Sell Massive Shulton Mural to Close $17M Budget Gap

The mural, titled “Womanhood Throughout the Ages Pays Scented Tribute to Venus, Goddess of Beauty”

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Clifton NJ, the City of Clifton, facing a potential budget deficit of $17 million in 2026, is considering an extraordinary measure to raise revenue: auctioning off a massive, historic piece of artwork that has been in storage for years.

The item in question is a 144-foot-long mural, painted by a renowned artist, which once graced the walls of the former Shulton Industries plant (the original maker of Old Spice) at Route 46 and the Garden State Parkway.

“Womanhood Throughout the Ages”: A Pricey Piece of History

The mural, titled “Womanhood Throughout the Ages Pays Scented Tribute to Venus, Goddess of Beauty,” was completed by artist Louis Bouché in 1948 for $20,000. Bouché is a notable artist whose works are held by prestigious institutions like the Whitney Museum, the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, and MOMA.

The problem? The artwork’s value is unclear, and its size makes it a logistical challenge:

• Dimensions: A colossal 144 feet long and 12 feet high.

• Appraisal Discrepancy: The First Assistant City Attorney, Andrew Oddo, stated the mural was once appraised at $400,000, while Councilwoman Mary Sadrakula suggested a more “realistic” figure of $100,000.

• Content Concerns: The mural depicts 31 larger-than-life women carrying flowers to the Venus De Milo, the semi-nude statue. Councilwoman Sadrakula noted that past attempts to display the work in city chambers were rejected because the council was “all upset because it had naked women.”

The Cost of Holding History

Since 2016, the mural has been kept in climate-controlled storage at the SRI warehouse, costing the city $274.82 per month in storage fees.

City Manager Gary DeMarzo has been instructed to explore the sale. However, even preparing the artwork for auction has a cost: an estimated $3,000 to $3,500 would be required just to arrange a viewing for appraisal and auctioning purposes.

Councilman Joe Kolodziej, liaison to the Clifton Arts Center, noted that the mural’s final condition, once removed from storage, will be a major factor in determining its true market value.

The fate of this unique piece of Clifton’s industrial and artistic history now rests with the City Council as they try to balance historical preservation against a severe budget shortfall.

Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: [email protected]