COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center (OAS) recently accepted the gift of an original work of art honoring the late U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., who piloted the Aug. 6, 1945, mission that led to the end of World War II.
On Jan. 20, 2024, at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Florida, the artist, John Shaw, unveiled the oil painting titled “The Peacemakers,” then presented it to OAS Executive Director Ron Kaplan.
The 35-inch by 65-inch canvas depicts Tibbets and two of his closest crewmen, Thomas Ferebee and Dutch Van Kirk, with their B-29 Superfortress, ENOLA GAY, as it was being prepared on the island of Tinian the day before they would drop the first of two atomic bombs that would result in Japan’s surrender.
The painting’s 45-inch by 74-inch frame displays Tibbets’ autograph along with each of the 11 crew that served aboard the historic mission.
Tibbets, an Illinois native, lived the majority of his post-service years in Ohio, where in 1964 he was a founding board member and president of Executive Jet Aviation (now NetJets), from which he retired in 1987. He passed away in Columbus on Nov. 1, 2007, at the age of 92.
The painting was donated to OAS by Mark Davis, an avid collector of historic aviation art and vice president of PerformAir International, based in Gilbert, Arizona, saying he felt OAS Learning Center would be the most appropriate organization to display the art and signatures.
Davis and Shaw collaborated on researching the project and tracking down the 12 crew signatures.
They believe that only one other collector has assembled all 12 autographs in one place, enhancing “The Peacemakers” historic value, according to OAS officials.
Shaw is renowned for the historical accuracy of his work, which often depicts notable people and moments in military history, officials added.
“This remarkable gift is the first original in what will be a gallery of images that enable us to vividly depict the legacies of Ohio’s pioneers of flight,” Kaplan said.
For more information: OhioAirandSpace.org