JUAN F. BASTOS, PAINTING THE POPE
AND LOS ANGELES PERSONALITIES
ACCA Announces the Unveiling of Juan Fernando Bastos’ Commissioned Portrait of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in Washington, D.C.
ACCA Art and Media Company proudly represents internationally renowned Los Angeles-based portrait artist Juan Fernando Bastos, and we’re excited to share the news of the recent unveiling of his latest major commission, an official oil portrait of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV oil on board. | 34” x 28” | Gifted by Fern Stanley Evans
The portrait was first displayed at Christ Cathedral in Orange County on Sunday, October 26, 2025, seen by several thousand church-goers who attended eight masses. Later it was shown at a private reception at the residence of benefactress Fern Stanley-Evans, and finally unveiled on Saturday, January 24, 2026, during a private ceremony at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy) in Washington, D.C. The event was attended by distinguished guests, including the former First Lady of Bolivia, Ximena Sanchez de Lozada, cousin of the artist. His Eminence Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, unveiled the portrait with the artist. The work now holds a place of honor in the Nunciature’s collection, joining portraits of previous pontiffs and symbolizing the historic significance of Pope Leo XIV, who holds dual U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.
Portrait of Pope Leo XIV displayed at Christ Cathedral in Orange County.
Unveiling of portrait commission of Pope Leo XIV for the Vatican Embassy in Washington D.C. Artist Juan Bastos, with guests, his cousin the Former First Lady of Bolivia, Ximena Sánchez de Lozada, and the Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christopher-Pierre in the USA. January 24th, 2026
Bishop John Taylor, oil on board. 44” x 32” | Los Angeles Diocese of the Episcopal Church
Bastos vision was to have his Holiness standing inside the Sistine Chapel in front of the altar with part of Michealangelo’s dramatic "Last Judgment" fresco as the background, juxtaposing his Holiness’ expression of wisdom, kindness, faith, and leadership, with the theatricality of the fresco.
Bastos’ first religious commission was in 2025 from the Los Angeles Diocese of the Episcopal Church, when he painted the portrait of Bishop John Taylor. The commission was a gift of Jeffrey Rusack and Alison Wrigley Rusack.
Over the past 40 years, Los Angeles-based portrait artist, Bastos has executed several-hundred portrait and landscape commissions in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Bastos is notably represented with commissioned portraits of high-profile art collectors Philip Niarchos, Eugenio Lopez, and Pamela Joyner.
Bastos' portraits are also represented in a number of public collections, The Baldwin School (Philadelphia), the Marlborough School, The Archer School for Girls, the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging, Good Samaritan Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, Viterbi School of Engineering, Price School of Public Policy, and Gould School of Law, George Washington University, and Harvard University.
Benefactor Leonard Schaeffer, oil on board. 36 x 30. USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy. Washington, DC. 2025
Karen Longley Gordy. Oil on board. 2018
Juan Bastos: California Portraits, Denenberg Fine Arts Gallery. West Hollywood, 2017.
Bastos has traveled extensively throughout four continents and, as a result, he has had shows in New York, Paris, Madrid, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lima, La Paz, and a Los Angeles retrospective of his California portraits, a part of “Pacific Standard Time,” an initiative of the Getty Museum. Bastos is often invited to give lectures and demonstrations at universities, colleges, art institutions, fraternal organizations, and social clubs such as The Jonathan Club and The Valley Hunt Club. He has also been featured in numerous television appearances throughout the Americas. Along with several other well-known artists, Bastos was profiled by The New York Times in a 1999 Sunday Style Section feature article about the reemergence of high-end portraiture. Bastos has lived in Los Angeles since 1996.
Amongst his portrait commissions are those of: Charlie Munger, Hutton and Ruth Wilkinson, Gore Vidal, Sir Ian McKellen, Baroness De Lassus of France, Thanpuying Lursakdi Sampatisiri of Thailand, and Janine Belmont of Peru.
For media inquiries, interview requests, or commissions
ACCA Art and Media Company
Email: acca.finearts@gmail.com
Phone: (310) 876 5686
