Branson comedian Smirnoff's mural now hangs at NY's Ground Zero

BRANSON, Mo. -- Comedian Yakov Smirnoff's latest work tugs heartstrings instead of tickles funny bones.

Smirnoff, best known for regaling crowds with humorous observations of life in the United States since immigrating from Russia, has painted a mural that hangs at Ground Zero in New York.

It depicts the landscape forever changed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. But the Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground, and the World Trade Center is replaced by a heart-shaped American flag.

Below it is the message: "The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart."

Like many Americans, Smirnoff said his heart ached as he watched reports of the destruction that dreadful day in 2001. New York was his first home after landing from Ukraine in 1977 with his parents and less than $100 in his pocket. He also became an American citizen on July 4, 1986, at Ellis Island.

'I was devastated'

"That landscape was very familiar and deeply embedded in my psyche and my soul because it was a very emotional moment of my life when I was there in New York," he said. "Here I was watching this disaster. I just couldn't move. I was devastated."

He finished his evening performance at his Branson theater and went home to search for a way to come to grips with what the terrorists had done.

Smirnoff, who holds an art degree from a Russian institute and taught professionally, turned to his paint brush. His first sketch included his vision of the Twin Towers rebuilt.

"But then I thought, 'Those towers can be destroyed.' I wanted something that could not be destroyed by anybody," he said. "Then it occurred to me that it was the American heart. It's the human spirit that was coming out. As that day was progressing, I felt people were kinder to each other. That's the way I experienced America when I came here."

Smirnoff dabbed and stroked acrylic paint on his canvas throughout the night. It was 5 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2001, when he put down his brush.

'Just could not stop'

"I just could not stop until it was done," said Smirnoff, noting most paintings take a month.

The same determination propelled him as he searched for a building near Ground Zero to display his work.

He and manager Tad Schinke made a half-dozen trips to New York over the following months but returned each time disappointed.

"Nobody said yes," Smirnoff said. "Some were less polite and some were more polite, but everybody pretty much said 'No.'"

Things changed in late August, when he discovered a building at 90 West Street, owned by FGP 90 West Street LLC of Iowa.

"Here is a man who saw the tragedy of September 11 and wanted to give something that would ease the suffering while providing aid in the healing process of the people of New York," said Tom Mathes of FGP. "We were immediately drawn to simply providing the easel from which to display his artwork. It was a way to reach out to the community in a very small way."

Smirnoff moved swiftly to get permits and insurance -- paying the estimated $100,000 himself. Some 70 union workers agreed to donate their labor to hang the 200-foot-tall, 136-foot-wide mural created from Smirnoff's original painting.

"The pride that they put in there was unbelievable," Smirnoff said. "These are like hardcore New York guys, who are bawling as they are putting it up. So I knew that I was doing something right."

Smirnoff chose not to sign the mural, and he has not sought any publicity.

"I wanted it to be totally pure," he said. "I felt it would be inappropriate to take away from the grieving families."

He did use the mural as a backdrop for the closing of his show this season, reminding audiences of the need to find good in people. Through that, word of his deed has spread.

"What a caring heart you must have. While watching the memorial service on CNN that was held in New York, my husband and I saw a reproduction of your beautiful painting that we had previously seen in the lobby of your theater," read one e-mail Smirnoff received. "Words can never describe the pride and the sadness that surged through our hearts at that moment, but seeing it today displayed with such pride brought tears to our eyes."

Smirnoff hopes the sorrow and grief that overcome many who see the mural will give way to a sense of peace.

"It's not easy to find good in tragedy," he said. "But just like those brave men and women in New York who tirelessly were looking through the rubble for some sign of life, I think we need to dig down deep and find the good. It's not gone. It's just buried under a lot of grief of despair."

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