FOR SALE
On eBay September 21-October 1, 2009
 
A Rare Painting by a Survivor of the Killing Fields

Vann Nath’s Mother and Child of the Genocide

Cambodian Artist Vann Nath was one of only seven survivors of the Khmer Rouge’s infamous Toul Sleng torture center, where 14,000 people were killed during the genocidal regime of Pol Pot. He has been called Cambodia’s Goya. His paintings in Phnom Penh’s Genocide Museum are world famous for their depiction of one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th Century.

This painting on sale, Vann Nath’s Mother and Child of the Genocide, is the only work from his genocide period (circa 1980) to be placed on the commercial market.  Except for his self-portrait, his other paintings of this period are owned by the Cambodian Government.

After the Vietnamese drove out the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Vann Nath was reunited with his wife but learned that their two young sons had starved to death.  Toul Sleng was turned into a museum the next year, and he returned to Phnom Penh to bear witness through his art to the horrors he had seen.

In the following years Vann Nath confronted several of the Khmer Rouge who took part in his arrest and torture.  His most dramatic moment came when he encountered the murderous former chief of security at Toul Sleng.

“It took me fifteen minutes to compose myself,” Vann Nath recalled in his memoirs. “What could I say to the person I had been more afraid of than a tiger?  Now suddenly he was standing right in front of me.”

He asked the former security chief what he thought of his paintings in the museum.  “Are they exaggerated?” Vann Nath asked.

“No, they are not exaggerated,” the security chief said.  “There were scenes more brutal than that.”

“Did you see the picture of the prison guards pulling a baby away from his mother?  What did you and your men do with the babies?

“We took them out and killed them.”

Vann Nath shouted: “You killed those babies?  Oh my God!”

He had hoped they at least spared the children. 

Vann Nath’s Mother and Child of the Genocide is the last painting created during his genocide period (ca. 1980).  Unlike his other paintings, which depict chilling scenes of violence and brutality, Mother and Child evokes a heart-wrenching sadness for all of humanity.

Mother and Child of the Genocide
acrylic on canvas, ca. 1980
width 31 inches (78 cm)
length 21 inches (53 cm)

Sales Information

Vann Nath, left, holds his self-portrait as a prisoner at Khmer Rouge’s torture center in Phnom Penh.  He was one of only seven survivors.  The owner of Mother and Child of the Genocide stands next to him.

1.  Available – Bill of Sale for Mother and Child of the Genocide in English and Cambodian signed by the artist Vann Nath.

2.  Available – A top American art expert who knows the owner personally has examined the Vann Nath painting.  Reference available for serious buyers only.

3. Currency – All major currencies accepted by Bank-to-Bank wire transfer. Exchange rates will be determined by Dollar versus Whatever Currency as listed in the September 19, 2009 edition of the International Herald Tribune. Winner of auction will be determined after a Bank-to-Bank certification that the full amount has been set aside for purchase of the painting.

4.  Present Location of Painting – Climate-controlled storage facility in Reston VA (20 minutes from Dulles International).

For articles on Vann Nath see:

http://pythiapress.com/wartales/vann-nath.htm

Google: vann nath – 600,000 links
Wikipedia: Vann Nath