Super Buddha at Mar-a-Lago: a Live Painting and Philanthropic Auction Red Carpet Event
Red carpets usually mark arrival. On February 10, 2026, at The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, one marked creation.
During President Donald Trump’s Hispanic Prosperity Gala, Venezuelan-born artist Super Buddha live painted on the red carpet, producing an artwork in full view of guests before it was auctioned that night, with half of the proceeds benefiting St. Jude.
For Super Buddha, the event was defined less by performance than by purpose. “What’s important is the message of the artwork,” he said. He has described the painting as dedicated to supporting Trump for what he believes Trump is doing “not only for the Hispanics in Venezuela that are under dictatorship but also Iran and the other countries that are subject to tyranny leadership and oppression.”
The work centers on a white horse, which Super Buddha has identified as “a symbol of strength and hope for all.” The image anchors a composition layered with references to liberation, faith, and national identity. Text elements point directly to Venezuela and Cuba, situating the painting within a broader argument about unity in the face of authoritarian rule. As he summarized the theme, “The artwork will be about peace through Unity.”
The choice to paint live is integral to that message. The painting is not unveiled after the fact. It is formed in public, with no separation between process and outcome. The red carpet becomes a studio, and the audience witnesses the work take shape before it enters the market through an immediate auction.
The philanthropic component is not secondary. Super Buddha has stated plainly that the sale is expected to be significant and that “half the proceeds will go to St Jude,” a cause he noted is Trump’s favorite charity. The structure of the event links visibility, political symbolism, and charitable impact into a single moment.
In a space typically reserved for spectacle, the act of making the artwork becomes the point. The result is not only an object but a public statement, produced at the intersection of art, politics, and philanthropy.
