Bush’s New Painting Collection Features Campus Life \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Former President George W. Bush has debuted a new art exhibit featuring 35 oil paintings inspired by daily life at Southern Methodist University and the George W. Bush Presidential Center. The collection highlights people and places from the campus where Bush now resides. Titled A Shining City on the Hilltop, the exhibit runs through October.
Quick Looks
- George W. Bush’s newest art exhibit opens in Dallas.
- The collection features 35 new paintings drawn from life at SMU and the Bush Center.
- Titled A Shining City on the Hilltop, the name nods to SMU’s nickname and Reagan’s famous quote.
- Bush composed the artworks based on photos from around the campus.
- This marks the fifth art exhibit hosted at the Bush Presidential Center.
- One painting features the 2013 center opening with former presidents, including Obama and George H.W. Bush.
- Another shows a center employee reading in the park.
- Bush previously painted world leaders, veterans, and immigrants to the U.S.
- The exhibit runs through October 19 at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
- Bush took up painting after leaving the White House in 2009.
Deep Look
George W. Bush’s New Exhibit A Shining City on the Hilltop Celebrates Campus Life, Community, and the Legacy of Leadership
Former President George W. Bush has once again turned to his paintbrush for storytelling, this time choosing to highlight scenes from the home of his post-presidency life: Southern Methodist University and the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. The new exhibit, titled A Shining City on the Hilltop, opened Thursday and showcases 35 fresh oil paintings capturing the daily rhythms and quiet moments around the campus and center grounds.
The title is a deliberate blend of SMU’s nickname, “The Hilltop,” and former President Ronald Reagan’s well-known reference to America as “a shining city upon a hill.” For Bush, the collection represents both a tribute to the university and a symbolic continuation of American ideals.
From Politics to Portraiture
Now 78, Bush has built a reputation for using his post-presidency years to explore personal passions—including a serious pursuit of oil painting. What began as a private hobby has evolved into a consistent creative endeavor. His latest works don’t feature world leaders or veterans, as past exhibits have, but rather the everyday people and spaces that make up the community he’s been part of since leaving office in 2009.
“This features not just the places around the SMU campus but it really takes a look at the people that are the heart of this campus and the community,” said Teresa Lenling, director of the Bush Presidential Museum. She noted that many of the scenes were inspired by photos taken around the 15-acre campus and park.
Everyday Life in Oil
The paintings are more than simple campus landscapes. They depict familiar scenes: students walking, faculty teaching, and quiet moments captured under the shade of campus trees. One standout work shows a woman reading on a bench—Devon Yarbrough, a staff member at the center, who was delighted to discover she had been immortalized in paint.
“I was very surprised,” Yarbrough said. “But it’s incredibly touching to be part of this. It shows how closely President Bush observes and connects with this place.”
Another centerpiece of the collection includes a scene from the 2013 dedication of the Bush Center itself, when President Barack Obama and all living former presidents—including George H.W. Bush—stood together for a historic group portrait outside the new building.
A Presidential Art Career
This marks Bush’s fifth art exhibit since he began painting seriously. His previous collections have delved into high-profile subjects: world leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, and Tony Blair in one exhibit, and American military veterans in another. His Portraits of Courage series was released as both an exhibit and a bestselling book.
He also turned his attention to immigrants in Out of Many, One, painting portraits of individuals who came to America from around the world, paired with personal stories and reflections on the American identity.
In contrast, A Shining City on the Hilltop is a quieter, more personal exhibit—a love letter to the space and people he sees every day.
Public Response and Exhibit Details
The exhibit opened to warm reception from SMU faculty, students, and Dallas residents, many of whom have followed Bush’s evolution as a painter with curiosity and admiration. As always, his brushwork is sincere if not technically perfect—focusing more on capturing character and story than on realism.
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, located on SMU’s campus, continues to serve as a hub for public policy discussion, historical preservation, and civic education. Now, it also serves as a gallery space where art and leadership intersect.
“You don’t often see a former president turn artist,” said one visitor. “But President Bush has managed to turn his post-political years into a different kind of service—one rooted in connection, creativity, and reflection.”
The exhibit is open to the public and runs through October 19, 2025.
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