Stay Up Late is a 1992 erotic furry watercolor painting by Brian Swords. The work depicts two anthropomorphic white rats embracing on a bed. Between 1988 and 1993, Swords donated paintings to an annual art auction for WITF-TV, a public television station in central Pennsylvania. As the years went on, the artwork became more explicit, culminating in the station banning erotica in 1993.
It was originally sold in 1992 for $80 (equivalent to $170 in 2023) and gained prominence in 2020 when television host John Oliver purchased the painting on Last Week Tonight. Oliver used the work to comment on the American response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stunt was praised by commentators. The next year, Stay Up Late was included in a five-city-tour put on by the show to support struggling museums.
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