"Oh God," she said, talking to a tree, 2004/2008

Title: "Oh God," she said, talking to a tree
Attributed date: 2004
Attributed to: Nahia Hassan

The following prints are attributed to Nahia Hassan who donated them to The Atlas Group in 2004. Until her dismissal in 1994, Hassan was a senior topographer in the Lebanese Army’s Directorate of Geographic Affairs. Her tasks included the investigation of all missile attacks on Lebanese soil. 

​In her time off, and as an amateur painter, Hassan painted hundreds of small watercolors of the plumes of smoke, debris and fire produced by the missiles she tracked. Moreover, and consistently over her 25-year career, she sent the paintings as thank-you-gifts to the officers and enlisted men and women who served with her. While some reprimanded her for her insensitivity, and others commended her for her formal mastery, few turned down Hassan’s painted gifts. 

​The following are 31 such turned-down thank-you-gifts.