Original Award-Winning Museum Exhibited Art - From 1986 A celebrating and significant piece of US art history Start Price USD 21,000,000.00 Current Price USD 21,000,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, July 13, 2008 End Time Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Location Florida See more about 'Original Award-Winning Museum Exhibited Art - From 1986' Description A Piece of American Art History - Centennial Celebration of the Statue of Liberty, 1986. "Dear Lady" ~ 71" X 71" ~ Textile Art ~ Created in 1985 ~ Artist: Iran Lawrence.I am fascinated by sparkling people who are interesting, sophisticated, productive, and more.  Like you!  You are excited by creativity.  Accomplished, and attracted by talented people, new places, and new things. This magnificent  piece of American heritage is to be owned by a very worldly humanitarian / art admirer / philanthropist / patriot and or a collector, whose legacy is defined as the love of quality, character and adventure.  Like you!  Your admiration for the arts, beauty and culture are what distinguishes your sense of charity as being amongst the best in the world.  This piece of art can be another vehicle of yours to further stand alone in the passing lane; perhaps as a fabulous gift to a museum of world prominence.  You know how it can and will reward you with an abundance of gratitude and admiration for your benevolence.  I cordially invite you to indulge in this new adventure of owning this historical work of art. Please read the entire description to further discover the significance of this piece, and also note that the delicate nuances of this masterpiece are best viewed by clicking the enlarge button above the images display area below the description text. And don't forget to click the  button on the top right of this page to read and view more art; very pertinent data you must know in connection to this piece!What is it? “Dear Lady” is a piece of artistic heritage of America, saluting the Statue of Liberty's 100th birthday.  The year was 1985 when Museum of American Folk Art in New York City launched a nationwide textile art / quilt competition in celebration of the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebration for the following year in1986.  The remarkable skills and talents of numerous artists across America were put to task in creating masterpieces worthy of the symbolic stature of the Statue of Liberty as the best in contemporary design / art and workmanship.Twenty eight regional and national judges gathered in New York City to judge and select 52 pieces among the 1200 submitted pieces to represent the 50 States of the union, the United States Territories and Military Installations. The submitted pieces were judged based upon originality, overall appearance / design composition, and workmanship. “Dear Lady” became as award-winning piece, selected to represent the First State in the Union - Delaware - in this magnificent collection.  It was featured in a variety of publications including a book published by the American Museum of Folk Art in New York, as Expressions of Liberty.  The collection traveled throughout the United States and abroad under the auspices of the Museum of American Folk Art for 3 years, and was featured at many major museums and galleries across America.  It was returned to me in 1989 in its original and excellent condition.  Since then, it has been loaned many times to a variety of exhibits around the country.  Several major museums such as Los Angeles Museum of Art have requested that I donate Dear Lady to become a part of their permanent collection.The creation of Dear Lady took me 11 months to complete.  From research through the sketches, to design composition, and the perfect execution of all the expert hand-piecing of many bits and pieces of specially selected cotton and dacron, to finally quilting it very meticulously with very small uniform stitches and the completion of it by December of 1985.  It was submitted to the Museum for judging in January of 1986.  Only a very dexterous designer / artist could examine this work of art and truly attest to the level of expertise utilized in creating it.  I was very proud to be a part of the Museum's Award Ceremony, followed by a Press Preview Party and very gladly signing many autographs for a long line of visiting public during the opening exhibition in New York City in April of 1986,   What I am ideally looking for is a very sophisticated humanitarian / art admirer / philanthropist / patriot / collector, who would indulge in procuring this significant piece, either for his/her own personal collection or perhaps as a gift to a museum of world prominence and make it available for general public viewing and enjoyment - as it is a part of our historical national treasures.What it means: As an immigrant myself, when I was invited to participate in this very honorable, noble and exciting competition, my imagination suddenly exploded with creativity and excitement in embracing many national ideals that the Statue of Liberty represents.  Having endured through the limitations and barriers of my own culture in the East, I couldn’t help but cherish what liberty and freedom meant to me by expressing them through this very special and extraordinary project.My imagination was rich with ideas as I was sorting through a gamut of visual possibilities in creation of this piece, but I knew at the same time, that I had to distill my ideas into only a few very simple, meaningful and significant historical symbols to artfully communicate our national ideals within a 70 - 72" square piece of art, meticulously enough, so that it could universally and at first glance, burst and pulsate with the aesthetic essence of pride, honor and patriotism; as the purpose of the piece was to be an artistic centennial birthday celebration of the Lady Liberty standing tall at the gateway between the East and the West!  Thus, an abstraction of the US Flag became the backdrop for my composition.  A few months later, I gave birth to the final composition of my work, where its most prominent part became the Liberty Torch itself in the center medallion surrounded by the spikes taken from the Statue of Liberty crown as a transitional visual burst into the overall echo of the theme - a historical jubilee!  The eagle’s wings then, became the representative for pride and strength in a soaring position, as its claws transforms into the stand holding the Liberty Bell in an striking position. The arrows below the eagle’s wing represent the wars America has fought to preserve peace and democracy in the world.  The thirteen blue stars above the torch symbolize the 13 original colonies, as the yellow rays of light emanating from the torch, showing the way, representing a destination of hope and optimism - as if a lighthouse - for all those who seek freedom and liberty in America.The wreath is an intertwined branch of olive and laurel - where both plants bear small and round fruits - is a tribute to the American culture.  Olive branch for peace, goodwill and victory, is derived from the customs of ancient Greece.  The laurel branch is also derived from the ancient Greeks who unlike Romans never waged wars for the purpose of occupancy.  Thus, it is a symbol of victory, honor and clemency; where traditionally, graduates, artists, poets, champions and scholars received wreaths of laurel as a symbol of praise and honor.  Hence, successful and advanced graduates of universities and learned men became known as laureates, such as a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.Additionally and primarily, the laurel branch represents a series of inner victories achieved by the individuals spiritually, which then through the clarification of their inner aims and purposes achieve outward victories and honor.  The five pointed 50 white stars not only represent the 50 states in the union, but also, a five pointed star, most commonly signify the spirit, all floating freely on a star-strewn blue background symbolizing truth.Framing: Please note that the method used in framing this piece is very much aligned with the recommendations made by the Smithsonian Museum of Art for textile art preservation.  The artwork is very meticulously and through a separate band of dacron is safely hand-Velcro-ed on the back edges to be then fastened to its own stretched canvas very smoothly and then stitched meticulously, fastening it to the canvas from the back every 2-3 inches to protect the work from the stress of its own weight against moisture and gravity.  The piece then hangs much like a 71" x 71" paining on a 70" x 70" frame, slightly concealing the frame.  The piece also has a 3 1/2" sleeve on the upper part of its back to be hung freely through a rod for a temporary exhibition.  Upon delivery and completion of the transaction, I can be available for any further consultation and the frame to be assembled fully for a permanent installation of the piece as described above, according to the preferences of the buyer at his or her designated location or museum of choice, to aid the transition to occur as smoothly and optimally as possible.  My art is created as a lucid reflection and a fragment of myself.  To learn more about me and my art, please click on  at the top right of this page and follow the links . ____________________________________ Shipping and handling information This is a very valuable piece of art.  When it is purchased by a buyer, and the full payment is made via Paypal bank wire transfer, the buyer then is obligated to pay a separate and none-refundable personal delivery and inspection fee of USD$3,000.00 in the US and USD$5,000.00 for international inspection and delivery.  However, this fee will be fully refunded upon the completion of transaction, acceptance of delivery and leaving a positive feedback.  If you have any questions regarding the delivery aspects of this work, or any other considerations, please feel free to call.  I look forward to hear from you! Methods of payment and Refund Policy This is an extraordinary and valuable piece of art and when it is procured by a buyer, travel arrangement will be made for personal delivery and inspection of the piece at the buyer's location, at which time the buyer has ample opportunity to inspect the piece, accept or forfeit his / her purchase.  Payment is to be made via Bank Wire Transfer through PayPal only, and due within 7 days of auction closing date. Payment is to be fully cleared through PayPal before arrangements for inspection and delivery is made.  The funds will be on hold at Paypal until the buyer accepts delivery and leaves a positive feedback.  It is only then that the funds will be released by Paypal to the seller's account.  ***Any taxes associated with this sale on ebay will be the responsibility of the buyer. Contact information You are cordially invited to directly contact the studio for any inquiries you may have before, during and after bidding.  Phone: 1- 727- 479 - 9950 ~ E-mail: Iran@iran-lawrence.com _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2008, Iran Lawrence.  All right reserved worldwide. Copyright laws and international copyright treaty provisions per Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 as H. R. 2281, protects the entire content of this listing and all intellectual properties (IP) associated with it. All materials have been published and marketed by the authority of the copyright owner Iran Lawrence for the sole purpose of personal use, ownership and viewing only. 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