This contemporary oil painting is an expression of gratitude and a one-of-a-kind portrait of the country’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The painting is inspired by a photo of Sheikh Zayed taken around 1957, which is part of an extensive and quite remarkable collection in the UAE National Archives.

With an unusual and eye-catching three-dimentional element, the portrait meaningfully re ects the blossoming of a great nation, as Sheikh Zayed is depicted holding a delicate Forever Rose, the rose that lives forever.