George Washington Playing Darts

· Some paintings begin with an idea. This one begins with a disappearance. Several years ago, BUEV created a small-format version of George Washington Playing Darts. The work travelled alongside other paintings exhibited in Switzerland and Germany and was lost somewhere in Switzerland during the frequent movement between exhibitions. It was neither sold nor known to have been destroyed; it simply disappeared. After learning its story, John Wolfcub discussed the lost work with BUEV. They agreed that an idea of this strength should not disappear with the original painting. Wolfcub initiated and supported the revival of the project, providing what was needed for BUEV to return to the composition and create it again at full scale. The result is a new 150 × 100 cm original, painted entirely by BUEV, not a reproduction or reissue, but a new work created by the same artist from the original vision. All artistic decisions and execution remained entirely BUEV’s. George Washington’s portrait is one of the world’s most familiar images, reproduced continuously on the American one-dollar bill. In this painting, BUEV removes him from that familiar context and places a dart in his hand - an entirely fictional scene with no historical precedent. BUEV’s surrealist and cubist language makes this impossible moment visually coherent. Washington and the surrounding composition are constructed through geometric volumes, while his identity emerges through context, symbolism, and the title rather than conventional portrait likeness. The painting balances irony with respect and invites the viewer to reconsider an image that has become almost invisible through repetition.

· Role : Creative Producer