This painting features the brush strokes of Popi and Katy, two orangutans who recently retired from entertainment, added to a canvas with a black circle painted by Pennsylvania artist Sue Buck
An art exhibition showcasing colourful paintings by bonobos and orangutans is on until the 30th November in West Des Moines, Iowa, US.
See a gallery of the apes’ paintings
is held by the , a scientific institute that studies great ape intelligence and behaviour. The proceeds from the sale of the original paintings will go towards raising money to help conserve great apes in the wild.
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Last year $16,725 was raised by the exhibition and this supported the in Rwanda and the on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Orangutans and bonobos are given the choice of whether they want to paint – and according to the Great Ape Trust, their daily lives are enriched immeasurably by such creative activities. The Trust also states that skills such as choosing canvases and colours and whether to make small, careful marks or big dramatic ones, are all within the ape’s control.
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