Artist Collected Funds For Covid-19 Victims. He Was Looted

By COLlive reporter

During the Covid-19 pandemic that heavily hit New York City, Yehuda Freeman was remaining isolated with his family at home in Crown Heights. While he was quarantine, his artistic streak was itching to break out.

“Being cooped up has its advantages, however, in that my method of painting is to put on Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s Ayin Beis shiur on YouTube and paint,” says Freedman, a 70-year-old retired financial analyst who is active as a musician and an artist.

“I’m at Chapter 60 and have completed 21 pieces in the process,” says the father of 6 and grandfather of “triple plus that many.” His art is typically labeled “Abstract Expressionism.” One of his paintings has been valued at $200,000.

But he says that being stuck at home because of the virus, he was unable to approach art galleries who might exhibit his work.

Instead, he created the “Free Walk-by Art Exhibition” outside his home on Carroll Street where he has been exhibiting selections of his lively paintings. He started a few weeks ago and has been receiving an enthusiastic response.

“I got creative and came up with the walk-by idea, you know, like a kid selling lemonade for five cents,” he tells COLlive.com.”Now people can see my work every day instead of shlepping to Manhattan. The reactions from passers-by are very positive, which is somewhat surprising since I only started painting seriously this year.”

To bring further purpose to his exhibition, Freedman placed a charity box near his art to collect funds for families of coronavirus victims. He also hands out cards promoting the Seven Noahide Laws when he’s outside and seeing people pass by.

Last week, while he was not outside near his art, the charity box was looted. “They only got a $1.25 which isn’t a lot,” he says. “Luckily, they didn’t rip off my art.”

But that won’t discourage him from continuing to paint and sharing his art with the world.