MADISON


BUCHANAN


LINCOLN


ELT


EISENHOWER


achievements took years — not sec- onds — to complete. Even though most of the estimat-


ed 280,000 pieces he created over his lifetime were brought to life using his “Instant Art” method, Katz took six years to finish portraits of each U.S. president in the old master style, with an average of 200 hours spent creating each painting. Each portrait includes the U.S.


flag with the exact number of stars per state or colony under each presi- dent.


Katz was inspired to start the Presidential Collection, which Honig estimates is valued at north of $150 million, after the assassina- tion of President John F. Kennedy


JOHNSON


in November 1963. Honig said the collection, which


was shown in museums nationwide, “united the country in a time of grief.” Katz went on to paint each presi-


dent, from George Washington to George H.W. Bush. While the collection was always


private — Katz reportedly turned down $50,000 for the Kennedy painting, which eventually became waterlogged from being stored in his basement — millions of Americans collected postcards of the presiden- tial paintings. Now, the collection is available


digitally and the Orthodox Jew- ish Chamber of Commerce hopes


REAGAN


schools will use it to teach students the importance of Presidents Day and what the country stands for. Honig said too many people in


the current generation have forgot- ten about patriotism and what makes America great, and he hopes Katz’s art will help students understand the feelings of a Holocaust survivor who went through horrors, rebuilt a life in America, and dedicated six years of his career to show his “appreciation for our country.” “He wanted to give back; he want-


ed to make people feel happy,” Honig said of Katz. “His goal was for the next generation to give a message, and that’s exactly what’s needed today.”


FEBRUARY 2024 | NEWSMAX 45


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