It was the biggest painting in the world – how could it just disappear?

Nachman Shimin became Nathan Simkin, and Symeon Shimin became Samuel Simkin on his first day of public school. If Hughes didn't like the first one, Shimin would whip out a second painting with more boob. Shimin worked 16-hour days to complete the painting in time for its tour, as he was desperate to return to his "Serious" art. With the mural out of the way, Shimin went back to work on his painting for his upcoming Whitney show, where his work would be shown in December alongside that of Edward Hopper, de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Georgia O'Keeffe and Jasper Johns. Following its Christmas debut in New York, Shimin's painting toured smaller American markets and Canada up until spring 1960. Despite plans in his eighth decade for another serious painting themed on liberation, Shimin died of cancer in 1984 at 82. Tonia Shimin, his mother, wanted to include the mural in a coffee table work, The Art of Symeon Shimin.