This1980 painting was inspired by reading about a tiny Tucson congregation of fundamentalist Christians who believed the Apocalypse was beginnning. In preparation, they sold their houses, found new homes for their pets, and quit their jobs. They believed the Ayatollah Khomeini to be the anti-Christ, and he looks out from behind a house. RAPTURE was sold by my late dealer, Jay Johnson, to a Fort Worth couple as a birthday present for the surviving founder of the Kimbell Museum. Following Jay Johnson’s death, his gallery closed and records – including the names of the buyers of RAPTURE – were lost.

Title: Rapture

Size: 30 x 42"

Date: 1981

Collection: private