A Global Art Project · Launched May 1990
The Hope &
Optimism
Portfolio
A unique global art project with no geographical,
political or cultural boundaries.
Some 100 original, limited, signed and numbered graphics from almost as many different countries — accorded the Haut Patronage of UNESCO and supported by leading National Galleries and cultural institutions from around the world.
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The Inspiration
Hope and Optimism:
In Spite of Present Difficulties
John Muafangejo · Namibia · 1984
This linocut by the Namibian artist John Muafangejo — its handshake of love and co-operation, its defiant, hand-lettered inscription — gave the portfolio its name, its theme, and its spirit.
Muafangejo's print has been accorded the universality of Picasso's Doves. Its first public use was as the theme for both Nelson Mandela Concerts. Bold, direct, and rooted in both Christian tradition and vernacular narrative, it is suffused with a faith in human possibility that no circumstance could extinguish.
The work is not part of the portfolio. It is the reason for it.
Sections
The Project
The origins, international concept, and cultural mission of a portfolio assembled across more than forty countries.
Selected Prints
Original prints by artists from around the world. Each work a response to the shared theme of hope and optimism.
Exhibitions & Collections
From inaugural shows at the Barbican and Tate Modern to permanent collections at the British Museum and MoMA.
Enquiries
For acquisition enquiries, international placement, and information about the availability of individual prints.