Zara Muse X Bee Wild Auction
The story behind The Keeper, a painting inspired by Angelina Jolie's iconic bee conservation portrait, created for National Geographic by photographer Dan Winters.
From the very beginning, I wanted that piece to feel both delicate and powerful, a reflection on beauty, fragility and our relationship with the natural world, told through the symbolism of bees. It was hand-painted in acrylic on canvas, and it carried a great deal of meaning for me from the first brushstroke.
The piece went to auction at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the bee:wild auction, run by TIME France and the bee:wild campaign, a charity co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio. All proceeds went directly towards protecting the pollinators our ecosystems depend on. Being selected for such an important evening, after all the work that went into the piece, meant a great deal to me.
The Keeper sold for £70,000. Being part of the bee:wild evening, and knowing the piece went on to support a cause I care about, made the whole experience one I'll always remember.
