Secretary of State John Kerry doubled as a courier during his recent 13-day diplomatic mission through Asia and the Middle East, delivering a work by an artist well-known to Newsmax magazine readers.
Former Senate colleague John Isakson, R-Ga., asked for Kerry's help in presenting a gift to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Kerry offered to deliver it himself.
The gift turned out to be a life-size oil painting of Gandhi by famed artist Ross Rossin, commissioned by Atlanta businessman R.K. Sehgal, The Washington Post reported.
The 6-foot square canvas was so large it had to be rolled up and stored in Kerry's personal cabin on his plane. Kerry delivered the painting to Singh during a stop in New Delhi.
Rossin has been commissioned for numerous portraits of business and political luminaries. Among his works are paintings of Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush for the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Texas, President Theodore Roosevelt for the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and Hank Aaron for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rossin has also painted the works that appeared on the covers of two issues of Newsmax magazine. His portrait of Abraham Lincoln appeared on the February 2009 issue, and his painting of Ronald Reagan was on the February 2011 issue.
The Reagan issue commemorated the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth. Rossin completed the 72-by-60-inch work in his Atlanta studio.
Rossin was 16 and living behind the Iron Curtain in Bulgaria when Reagan was elected president. He came to the United States in 2001 and is now an American citizen.
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