A few months ago the New Yorker published a story about the purchase, by Goldman Sachs, of a $5 million dollar abstract painting to hang in its lobby. “Sometimes,” a spokesman said, “it takes the resources of a corporation to bring art to the public.” The 42 foot painting by Julie Mehretu, called simply “Mural,” is oil on canvas.

But when a corporation can’t, or won’t, cough up the money, the U.S. government is the go-to place. The above work, called “Taxpayer Ass-Fuck,” is oil on water. Like many works of great scope, it remains mysterious. Its dimensions, for instance, are likely to be unknown for decades. At present it is framed by marshland and beaches. And like much new art, its creators are untrained and proud of it.