ABOUT THIS PAINTING – General Eisenhower wanted to observe the Normandy Invasion on 6 June, 1944 from the vantage point of the English Channel. His staff forbade him, but on D-Day +1 Ike prevailed and boarded an English mine sweeper to observe the proceedings. Gaunt and rawboned, General Eisenhower endured unimaginable stress that year while planning for that day of days. Equipped with his ever-present cup of coffee and cigarette no doubt obscured in his left hand, General Eisenhower walked the tightrope of Supreme Commander balancing the delicate egos of the powerful Allied leaders and commanders. Everything was on the line on that fateful day.
Fast Forward to this weekend, Veteran’s Day Weekend 2024. And Fine Artist, Steve Alpert, is beyond honored to be presenting this painting to the Mayor of Thionville, France as France celebrates the 80th Anniversary of Liberation by the 90th Infantry Division on D-Day. Alpert and his wife, Dorothy, were warmly welcomed for an incredible historic weekend filled with parades, ceremonies and celebrations.
THE STORY BEHIND THE PAINTING
At Allied HQ at Southwick House in Hampshire on the south coast of England, Allied Supreme Commander General “Ike” Eisenhower shouldered the unthinkable burden of making the call of when to initiate the invasion, Operation Overlord that had been in the planning for years. The stakes were immeasurably high. The weather was awful and had been for days. Operation Overlord had been years in planning. Tides would not be favorable again for another month. Ike called it for the 6th, 6 June 1944. Another day of infamy.
Cy was a man of Jewish faith and wanted to be in the fight against Germany. He was about to fulfill his desire. He and his fellow Screaming Eagles boarded a DC-3 in the darkness of the early morning hours of 6 June, 1944. They landed along the Normandy coast, in France, but they did not know that. Cy spoke French and at first light asked an old man with a horse-drawn cart where they were. “France, St. Mere Eglise.” Cy Blank was Steve Alpert’s stepfather.
Ike wanted to go out into the English Channel to watch the proceedings on D-Day. His staff forbade him. But on D-Day+1, Ike was accommodated and was taken into the Channel on an English mine sweeper. His ever-present coffee mug in his right hand and undoubtedly a lit cigarette in his left, Ike watched the fruits of his labors as troops and material streamed onto the beaches of Normandy. The battle was won. Before the invasion, Ike had hand-written a note that (had the invasion failed) he would have read apologizing and taking full responsibility for the failed mission. Thank God that note never needed to be read. Today, that letter lives in a case in the Army-Navy Club clubhouse on the second floor next to a case with Ike’s golf clubs.
ABOUT STEVE ALPERT
Steve Alpert is a native New Yorker and fine art painter whose work covers a wide range of subject matter including land/sea/skyscapes, military, abstract, and portraiture. Alpert best describes himself as a non-conformist who draws from many different moments in his life that have inspired and shaped his work. Painting is my reverie, my serenity, my never-ending pursuit of who I am
However, it is Alpert’s Contemporary American Military paintings that are the foundation of his collection and what distinguishes him from many of his fellow artists.
Alpert’s work has been exhibited at the home of the President (Biden) and fine art galleries across the United States. His military work is part of the permanent collection of the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico VA, the Naval War College at Newport RI, the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover AFB, Dover DE, and the Institute of World Politics in Washington DC. Through generous donations of his artwork, Alpert has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for causes that support the men and women of our United States Armed Forces and their families including Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation and Fisher Houses. Most recently he was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Distinguished Citizen Award.
Alpert has authored two books, Worth Fighting For, The Path of a Patriot and Proudly She Served, Celebrating Women in Uniform and he is currently working on a third book, Duty, Courage, Honor. He is also an adjunct professor of art at Fordham University, where he offers art workshops to veterans.
For more information, visit his website, Steve Alpert Art.
