In 1985, four elderly women gave a new meaning to being older than 60 and single. They were known as the “Golden Girls” and without a doubt they never failed to meet audience expectations. With their great comedic timing and overactive sex drives, the characters known as Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia portrayed divorced or widowed woman who were now roommates and spent their time gabbing about the new men in their lives while quarreling about their personal differences.

Fifteen years after the shows end, they’re making headlines in a different way. The four women are featured in a racy art exhibit titled “Golden Gals Gone Wild.”

Under the creative mind and supervision of curator Lenora Claire, 38 local artists have come together to depict these women in various styles ranging from “Star Wars” characters and superheroes to the more racy portraits of the dominant woman dressed in black leather. Not to mention the paintings in which the women are portrayed completely nude and in erotic situations.

The idea came about after Claire purchased a portrait of Bea Arthur baring her breasts for $110. Claire hung the portrait above her bed and soon realized that a simple painting that she found amusing stirred a lot of controversy and commentary among friends and family.

Some people thought it was just the funniest thing they had ever seen and others found it less amusing, Claire said.

Claire contacted Chris Zimmerman, the artist who had painted the inspirational painting of Arthur along with other local artists and so the saga of “Golden Gals Gone Wild” began.

One painting that also helped launch the exhibit was a painting of Betty White holding a whip and dressed in a skimpy leather outfit.

Some of the artwork was over-the-top in its crudeness and other pieces were not sexual at all. One piece created by Zimmerman is a portrait of Rue McClanahan created solely with random objects one might usually describe as junk. The very bright and colorful collage is created with condom wrappers, magnates, empty hairspray canisters, paper napkins from The Cheesecake Factory and an old shoe, among other things.

While artist Doug Murphy, who goes by the artistic name Plasticgod and is known as the 21st century Warhol, depicted the women as various “Star Wars” characters.

Murphy has focused his career on creating digital caricatures of more than 700 pop icons including Elvis Presley, Paris Hilton, Cher, Kurt Cobain, Bjork and more.

When asked if she knew how the actress felt about the racy exhibit, Claire said she had contacted all of their publicists and told them about it. She had also invited Arthur to the opening, but she had kindly declined the offer.

Claire is a 27-year-old woman known for her long neon red hair. She has been involved in many local art exhibits in the past, but her primary job is as a columnist for Frontiers Magazine. She’s also a model and actress who in her spare time entertains people with her glass eating act.

The exhibit opened its door on Aug. 11 and was supposed to have a short run. But as of now it has extended until Sept. 7 and is possibly going to tour the nation.

Claire is also currently in talks with a publishing company about a possible book. Neither the tour nor the book have been confirmed as of yet.

The exhibit is open to other new artists who want to get involved. The current artwork is also on sale and can be purchased at the show. The prices range from $50 to $6,000.

The exhibit can be viewed for free at 6650 Hollywood Blvd., but hours vary so call ahead of time at (323) 603-6300. For more information, visit the exhibit’s Myspace page. Do you have more to say than a comment? Want any feedback from the writer? Story ideas? Head to The Gripevine.