Charity Prints

Zelensky (sold out), 2022

archival pigment print on Moab Entrada Natural 290 paper  
23 x 16 3/8 in

SOLD OUT! THANK YOU!

Print for Ukraine: $500 unframed plus shipping and handling.
Edition of 250, signed and numbered by Joan Baez

As a famous activist for peace and nonviolence, Joan Baez never imagined painting a portrait of a war hero, but since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, she has been moved by the “unequivocal and astounding bravery” of its besieged president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and has honored him with a heartrending portrait meant to convey the sadness of war, the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the desire for peace.

“If I were to meet Zelensky today, in the heat of the ghastly battle he has inherited, though I’m deeply saddened and cannot condone the organized violence, I would have no advice, no judgment, only a humble salute to his monumental courage, and to the courage of the thousands of Ukrainians who daily engage in nonviolent resistance against terrifying violence,” Joan says.

Surrounding the Ukrainian leader on the canvas are the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, a spray of sunflowers and pair of white storks, both official symbols of the Ukrainian nation. The president’s name is printed across the bottom in Cyrillic script.

All sales go to the International Medical Corps, which has teams inside Ukraine and in the surrounding region that are providing desperately needed medical and mental health services as well as working to help refugees.

Since the invasion, more than 3.5 million refugees have been forced to flee Ukraine. That tragedy, Joan says, “reminds us of the less publicized struggles in countries where deadly strife has also resulted in millions of displaced people.”

With gratitude to Legion Paper Company for their generous donation of the art paper for this edition.