We are pleased to introduce: Koko: Portrait of a Gorilla Ambassador
by Richard Stone, world-renowned Royal Portrait Painter
A few years ago, Richard Stone, the UK's pre-eminent royal portrait painter, asked to paint Koko and donate the proceeds to The Gorilla Foundation's mission. We have been waiting for the right moment to unveil his masterpiece and make the original available to someone who has both the wherewithal and a strong desire to extend Koko's legacy and thus help ensure the survival of her species.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of Koko's passing, the time seems right, and we now invite you to watch the following video for a closer look at the painting, the artist, and the extraordinary relationship that evolved between them, and inspired the creation of "Koko, Portrait of a Gorilla Ambassador" in its current form:
As you can see, Koko loved being painted by Richard, and the feeling was mutual. As Richard says, it was the most memorable project of his life, and the one people ask about most (even more than his painting sof the queen or other royal subjects).
The value of this once-in-a-lifetime "Portrait of a Gorilla Ambassador" is compounded by 3 factors: 1) the artist, Richard Stone, whose wonderfully life-like portraits of famous and awe-inspiring public figures have garnered $1M and more in some cases; 2) the subject, Koko, whose presence among us for over 4 decades has changed the paradigm about gorillas from "King Kong" to "Koko's Kitten" — and allowed humans to" talk with the animals" and truly understand gorillas for the first time, and 3) the work of The Gorilla Foundation, who raised, cared for and mentored Koko (, Michael and Ndume) as part of its mission to achieve "conservation through communication" for gorillas and other endangered great apes!
Selected Highlights of Koko's Legacy
King Kong to Koko's Kitten
Cultural Transmission (Baby)
The Voice of Nature
National Geographic 1985
National Geographic Kids 2019
Foreign Policy (FP) 2019
Koko & Robin
Koko & Mister Rogers
Koko Empathizes with a Boy
"Love" by Koko
"Bouqet of Flowers" by Michael
"Bird" by Koko
How will Koko's Portrait Help Gorillas?
The proceeds from the sale of the original Koko portrait painting plus the subsequent limited edition prints will provide close to two million dollars of funding for The Gorilla Foundation's mission. This will enable us to complete the following Koko legacy-level projects to significantly increase interspecies empathy and wellbeing:
The Project Koko Archive (at Stanford) so that it can be shared with other researchers and the general public, to advance our understanding of our fellow great apes and ourselves through interspecies communication;
The Koko App to zoos, sanctuaries and schools throughout the US and Africa, so that many more gorillas and children can learn to communicate in sign language, read Koko's books, translate her videos, and foster new "Kokos" worldwide to save the species from extinction.
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The Koko-Maui Sanctuary for the use and expansion of our leased Maui land as the first natural sanctuary for gorillas who are neither suited for zoos nor for Africa; and model new video-based "zoos" that give basic personhood rights to gorillas.
We are so grateful to Richard Stone for painting Koko in such a way that she will always be remembered as a "spokesperson" for great apes, and for donating all procceeds from the sale of the painting to The Gorilla Foundation's mission (which was largely informed by Koko).
Please contact me if you are interested in matching Richard's generosity, owning this exclusive painting, and helping us extend Koko's Legacy — the gift of interspecies communication and empathy — for posterity.
Thank you!
Francine "Penny" Patterson, Ph.D.
President, CEO and Director of Research
The Gorilla Foundation / koko.org
Contact: [email protected] or: 650.743.4418
