Joan Baez

Tony , 2020

 
30 x 24 in

When Joan posted her portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, he was under fire from then President Trump for having the audacity to tell people the truth about the coronavirus. One version of the portrait went viral after she added a single word: “Trust.”

“Dear Dr. Fauci, I’ve painted your portrait to honor you and all you are doing for us and for the world,” she wrote on the post. “It will be a part of my second art exhibit of ‘Mischief Makers,’ paintings of people who have made meaningful social change without the use of violence. I don’t imagine you’ve ever thought of it this way, but you are engaging in nonviolent resistance every time you stand in front of the cameras and attempt to educate the public on how to survive the covid-19 pandemic.”

When Joan heard that Trump was threatening to fire Fauci, she sent him a text saying, “Dear, Tony. Quit.” She soon thought better of it, encouraging him to keep up the good work he’s done for public health under six presidents of both parties.

“He wrote back,” she says, “giving me a thumbs up.”

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