The Call of Freedom: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents

George W. Bush is showing his oil paintings at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, with the exhibition opening March 9, 2027. The show, The Call of Freedom: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents, brings together forty-four full-color portraits of men and women who've been persecuted for their ethnicity, gender, political positions, or religious beliefs. Each painting is paired with the story of how that person has fought for justice and human rights.

During his presidency, Bush met nearly 200 political dissidents from around the world—names like Václav Havel, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama—and he's kept those conversations going since leaving the White House. The portraits come from that work. In the book that accompanies the show, he writes, "No matter where someone lives or how they were raised, every human heart yearns for freedom."

That book, THE CALL OF FREEDOM: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents, is published by Crown and includes a foreword by former Soviet prisoner Natan Sharansky. It's available in two versions: a $42 jacketed hardcover and a $250 oversized deluxe edition signed by the author. A portion of the proceeds goes to organizations that aid political dissidents.

The exhibition opens March 9, 2027, at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.