Dream come true at Boston museum for terminally ill Weymouth painter
By Jody Feinberg, The Patriot Ledger
Donny Jo Prevost never expected to see his self-portrait hanging in the Museum of Fine Arts, but there it was, along with nine of his other paintings. The experience was surreal, like a dream – except that it was a dream come true, the Patriot Ledger reported.
Prevost, 63, the former lead singer for a popular local band, is the first artist to exhibit at the MFA through The Dream Foundation, which grants wishes to adults with terminal illnesses.
Earlier this week, he and his wife, Theresa, saw the exhibit, titled Donny Jo Prevost, in the Drucker Family Pavilion of the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.
"When I think about it, I start to cry," said Prevost of Weymouth, who has Stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to his brain. "It was surreal, a dream come true. I was looking at my work in a place where I have seen masters of the art world."
Prevost had expected the MFA to turn down his request when approached by the Dream Foundation, saying "I ain't that good." But the MFA thought otherwise.
"We were inspired by Donny, and expect that museum visitors will feel the same way when they see his talent," said public relations director Karen Frascona.
When MFA curator Jen Mergel visited his studio last week, she selected 10 acrylics completed between 2008 and 2012 from more than a hundred paintings of famous musicians, painters, movie stars, political leaders, Civil War figures and historical scenes.
"What was immediately clear was his voracious interest in many American icons," said Mergel, who lives in Quincy and like Prevost grew up in Dorchester. "And he himself has an amazing intensity and facility with painting. You get an impression of someone having a larger-than-life experience and capturing that in his paintings."
In his self-portrait, based on a photograph taken by his wife, Prevost sits on a commuter boat, contemplating the ocean, his face propped on his hand.
"I could have done without the self-promotion," Prevost said, referring to the inclusion of a self-portrait. "I'm not there to think I'm cool."
The fact is Prevost retains the coolness of the performer he was when he was the lead singer in Spores, a well-known South Shore rock band in the 1980s. Wearing tight black pants and a black sleeveless T-shirt, he threw himself into conversation, leaning forward, gesturing and emphasizing with his large eyes.
As his son, 15, and daughter, 23, proudly showed a visitor his paintings, Prevost recounted that a 2006 arrest for drunken driving was the start of his intense focus on painting, which had been a self-taught hobby for decades.
"I was a drunk for a long time," he said. "I was so scared of drinking and being an addict, I said, 'I've go to calm down and paint.' Art saved my life. God was so patient. I feel extremely grateful now."
Prevost grew up in the Columbia Point housing project, served in Vietnam after enlisting in the Marines at age 18, and worked many years as a laborer in Boston's department of public works before leaving on disability for post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The exhibit, which arranges the paintings into three thematic groupings and runs through Nov. 12, offers insight into what inspires Prevost. A passionate Civil War re-enactor, he painted Lincoln in his casket, titling the work, "Now He Belongs to the Ages." Next to Lincoln, portraits hang of Civil War Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the Bostonian who heroically led the 54th Massachusetts regiment, and General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who led a Marine regiment in the Battle of Gettysburg. Another portrait is of Edgar Allen Poe, whose works were carried by many Civil War soldiers.
Prevost paints people who inspire him, and the German artist Albrecht Durer is one he most admires. In addition to a portrait of Durer, the exhibit has a copy of his famous work, "Hands at Prayer," which also reflects Prevost's connection to God.
Other portraits are the head of Michelangelo's "David," actor Steve McQueen, from the poster for his 1968 movie "Bullitt," and musician Annie Lennox, based on her photograph on her 1983 album "Touch."
"His attraction to iconic figures through history and his question of who is remembered was very poignant for me," Mergel said. "He's making a significant statement in his work. Even after lives have passed, they live on and inspire people."
Despite his illness, Prevost is determined to live until next April – the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War – to join the 22nd Massachusetts Regiment re-enactors when General Robert E. Lee surrenders after the Battle of Appomattox Court House. He is now working on a painting of the Union Army General William Sherman.
"I must survive until then," he said. "But I believe that no matter what happens to me, the paintings I leave behind will make people happy."