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Finding a rare portrait, and the boy hidden in its paint

When art collector Jeremy Simien came across a portrait of four Louisiana children he become obsessed. But this painting held a secret – an attempt to erase an enslaved child.

American art collector Jeremy Simien specialises in paintings that depict his Louisiana Afro-Creole heritage. When he came across an image of a portrait of four children from the 1830s, he became obsessed. Because over the years, one of the children – an enslaved Black boy – had been mysteriously covered up. Who was this boy, and could Jeremy track down the portrait?

Presenter: Ramita Navai
Producer: Olivia Lynch-Kelly and Maryam Maruf

Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Jeremy Simien with the painting of Bélizaire and the Frey Children the day it arrived. Credit: Courtesy of Jeremy Simien)

Available now

41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 26 Oct 202311:06GMT
  • Thu 26 Oct 202317:06GMT
  • Thu 26 Oct 202321:06GMT
  • Fri 27 Oct 202302:06GMT

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