Beatles Penis Artwork Defaced at Liverpool Art Exhibit

The Beatles sang about wanting to hold your hand, but somebody last week at the Museum of Liverpool obviously wanted to hold far more than that.

NME reports a piece of art entitled "The Beatles in America" and showing the (artistically rendered) penises of the Fab Four -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- was defaced at the Museum of Liverpool.

The oil paint-based piece by Jonathan Gent was reportedly smudged and pressed carried out by somebody unknown and was removed from the exhibition's display. The penises were rendered with each labelled for a Beatle. The piece was to be auctioned off for a children's charity later this week.

"It's as intimate a piece as you can get about The Beatles," Gent said. "What was really what I was after because they are such a global thing -- this untouchable thing and that is what interests me most about them. So this idea of suddenly having their penises on a canvas it was, I guess, about closeness, getting close to this idol in some way."

A spokesman for the Museum of Liverpool said the damage is "all the more regrettable" due to the fact it was to be auctioned off for charity, a children's charity called Claire House. It was unknown if the work -- which according to Liverpool Love measures 40 inches by 50 inches and is oil on canvas -- would be displayed again as it was "dependent on what can be done to return the work to its original condition."

Although Gent made no mention of the incident on his official site, the artist has had his works displayed throughout the world, including New York, London, Rome and Dubai. As for the work itself, it appears that George ended up being the, um, biggest Beatle.

Last month another auction of Beatles items took place in Liverpool. According to a blog for the auction, the highlight was a ticket for the last concert The Beatles gave at the famous Cavern Club in August 1963, which sold for 7,400 BP ($11,877 US). Meanwhile, a piece of the stage went for 1,700 BP ($2,728).

In other Beatles art news, a painting by the foursome while on tour in Japan in 1966 and entitled "Images of a Woman" went on the block last month. It sold for over $150,000.