Smithsonian commissioned this painting by Haitian artist Frantz Zéphirin for the September 2010 issue cover. The work by Zéphirin is a response to Haiti’s earthquake, with symbols of the nation’s suffering and its struggle for recovery. Philanthropic birds, representing former President Clinton, President Obama and international aid agencies, deliver messages of hope to the Caribbean nation. Bags marked with dollar signs, Zéphirin says, “show that to build a new Haiti with more justice and more educational opportunities we will need a lot of money.” At the top of the painting there is a single eye: “That’s God, and you can see he is crying a little when he sees what’s happening in my country.”
Fifty percent of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Smithsonian Institution-Haiti Cultural Recovery Project and the other half will go to the artist and the Gallerie Monnin, which represents Zéphirin and plans to donate part of its proceeds to the Dallas Monnin Foundation; the foundation’s mission is to protect the environment in Haiti through reforestation, to conserve watershed areas and to conduct civic education classes for children in the Port Salut area.
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Comments (5)
I had the honor of interviewing Mr. Zephirin and looking at a collection of his work with him. The article is posted here for those who'd like to learn more about this fascinating character: http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/06/01/entertainment/doc4c054bd4c0d32026953907.txt
Posted by Julie Owsik Ackerman on September 23,2010 | 04:00 PM
I agree with the first comment - more paintings/more artists = more money for the Recovery project and the Haitian artists. Also resulting in happy patrons. Please consider adding to this wonderful idea.
Posted by Laura Catterton on September 17,2010 | 07:25 PM
You have a large error in your description of the painting. The statement is made that the birds show the philanthropy of former Clinton and Obama. First off, Obama isn't a former president = he is the current president. The twosome of former presidents were President BUSH and President Clinton. You should check the facts before you publish such a dreadful error.
Jill S. Eliot
Posted by Jill Eliot on September 8,2010 | 11:21 PM
How about selling some print copies of this beautiful painting? - or other "earthquake art"?
Posted by Robert K. Bitting on September 8,2010 | 08:29 PM
I was quite interested in the article The Art of Resilience in the Sept2010 issue. Although the cover art is the most spactacular of the ones shown, I wish there were a way for folks with not so much money as $4000+ to bid on other artist's works. Is this something you can add to your website prior to the auction closing on 9/17/10? That would be great.
Posted by sigrid casey on August 21,2010 | 06:03 PM