leaders & revolutionaries
PART 1 of 5 in the Influencers Over Time project
The show that started it all.
Influencers Over Time: Leaders + Revolutionaries was the first chapter in this project — a hand-crafted portrait exhibit exploring some of the most powerful, polarizing, and world-shaping figures of the 20th century.
Every portrait in this series was painted by Myron Bouwhuis, then paired with a short timeline and commentary designed to do one thing: start conversations.
Not to celebrate.
Not to condemn.
But to ask harder questions.
What is influence?
Who has shaped our world — and how do we feel about it now?
Hosted in an intimate home studio setting, the exhibit held in October 2025 invited visitors to experience history up close and personally. The turnout was incredible — friends, neighbors, artists, and curious minds packed into the space, flipping through timelines, debating legacies, and lingering longer than they expected.
Because once you’re face-to-face with influence, it’s hard to stay neutral.
Featured Leaders + Revolutionaries
1. David Ben-Gurion — Israel’s first Prime Minister
2. Winston Churchill — British Prime Minister
3. Mohandas Gandhi — Father of modern India
4. Mikhail Gorbachev — Soviet reformer
5. Adolf Hitler — German dictator
6. Ho Chi Minh — Leader of North Vietnam
7. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — Leader of Iran’s revolution
8. Martin Luther King Jr. — Civil rights leader
9. Vladimir Lenin — Founder of the Soviet Union
10. Nelson Mandela — South African President
11. Mao Zedong — Leader of communist China
12. Ronald Reagan — U.S. President
13. Eleanor Roosevelt — U.S. First Lady & humanitarian
14. Franklin D. Roosevelt — U.S. President
15. Theodore Roosevelt — U.S. President & reformer
16. Margaret Thatcher — British Prime Minister
17. Margaret Sanger — Birth-control activist
18. Lech Wałęsa — Polish union leader
19. Pope John Paul II — Religious leader
20. The Unknown Rebel of Tiananmen Square — Symbol of protest
If you missed the show (or just want another look), you can still walk through the studio virtually using the Matterport tour below. Wander the walls, zoom in on the portraits and take your time — the conversations are still waiting.
