Unveiling Michael Jackson’s paintings at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital

Katherine and La Toya Jackson, Michael’s mother and sister, along with his three children, were at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital yesterday afternoon to unveil the 13 artworks they donated to the hospital. One of the items in the donated collection is a framed photograph portrait bearing Michael Jackson’s signature.

14-year-old Prince, 13-year-old Paris, and 9-year-old Blanket placed their own signatures on some of these works next to their father’s name. It has been said that the children personally selected these works from the collection to donate to the hospital.

Little Blanket wrote at the bottom of one of these paintings:

"My father’s art and music always makes everyone happy. Love you, Dad."

During the ceremony, La Toya said she knows that when children look at these paintings on the hospital walls, they will be thrilled, and her brother will also be happy that his works are displayed in this hospital and in front of everyone. Mary Hart, the retired Entertainment Tonight network host and the current hospital trustee, along with her husband, arranged the ceremony. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and hospital president Richard Cordova were also present.

On this day, Mary Hart said she couldn’t have found a better place than a children’s hospital to install these paintings, because throughout his life Michael was always seeking to help and love children. She said: "The presence of the Jackson family here and the unveiling of a part of Michael Jackson’s personality that may still be unknown to the world is a very exciting experience."

As it was said, Michael had given ownership of these works to his painter friend, Brett Livingston Strong. Strong’s proposal to donate the works to the hospital was met with approval from Michael’s mother and children.

In his speech at the ceremony, Strong said: "I think Michael is here with us today. His bubbling talent turned him into an extraordinary artist. Michael always wanted to hold an exhibition of his paintings. I think installing these paintings in a hospital is very appropriate and something to be proud of."

To download a video from the unveiling ceremony, click. (To get the file, right-click the link, choose Save As, and save the file with the .flv extension.)

Source: eMJey.com / etonline.com / abcnews