In July of 1988,  Rev. Jesse Jackson was a presidential candidate in the Democratic National Convention and captured 29% of the votes (Michael Dukakis had 70%) hitherto unprecedented effort by a candidate of color. A year later in November 30 1989, Washington Project for the Arts put up a tin billboard version of this piece in public. (Washington, D.C was at the time inhabited by predominantly black residents and voted overwhelmingly for Jesse Jackson the year before):

See article below from 1989:

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/01/arts/portrait-of-jackson-as-white-is-attacked.html

“The portrait, which is painted in sections on tin, was damaged but not beyond repair. It was the work of David Hammons, a black New York artist, and was emblazoned with the question: “How Ya Like Me Now?” The work was attacked with sledgehammers by a group of black men who felt the painting disparaged Mr. Jackson…

Eric Easter, press secretary for Mr. Jackson, said today that Mr. Jackson had not seen the portrait but had seen a photograph of the painting in an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer about the exhibition. “He got kind of a kick out of it,” said Mr. Easter, continuing: “Our position is that the Rainbow Coalition does not support censorship of any kind and art is open to interpretation, whether it is seen in a negative or positive light. A free marketplace of ideas is one of our democratic principles and we should respect it”…

’‘I am really disappointed,” said Rick Powell, the curator of the show and acting co-director of the Washington Project for the Arts. “David Hammons, the artist is on the cutting edge of dealing in his art with issues that affect Afro-Americans and ever since I saw the concept for the piece, I thought it was an important image that had to be seen, concentrated upon, talked about. For me it is very evident what it is about - are your likes or dislikes about people based on race? That was the question it was posing to people.”

Mr. Powell, who is black, pointed out that the title of the portrait, “How Ya Like Me Now?,” is a line from a rap song performed by Kool Moe Dee. “I think that contemporary art in general,” Mr. Powell said, “is not to be embraced or understood upon immediate perusal. You have to think about it, reflect on it, that is what this piece demanded.”

The confrontation took place as several members of project’s staff, who are white, were installing the portrait late Wednesday afternoon. “It happened very quickly,” said Beth Curran of the project staff. “We tried to discuss it, explain it to them, but it became clear very quickly that we weren’t going to be able to prevent it.”

The damaged installation, which is painted on tin and constructed to come apart along straight lines, has been placed in storage.”