After more than two years on display, the “Portraits of Courage” exhibit has been removed from The American Adventure at EPCOT. The collection of oil paintings by former President George W. Bush had adorned the walls of the pavilion’s rotunda since the summer of 2024, and as of early July the artwork has come down, leaving the space empty.
A Two-Year Run At The American Adventure
Officially titled “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors,” the exhibit debuted at EPCOT on June 9, 2024. It featured more than 60 oil portraits painted by former President Bush honoring post-9/11 service members and veterans, with each painting paired with the personal story of the veteran depicted. Disney positioned the American Adventure Pavilion as a fitting home for the collection, noting that company founders Walt and Roy O. Disney both served their country during World War I.
The display was extended multiple times over its run. Most recently, Disney tied the exhibit to “Disney Celebrates America,” the company’s programming honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, confirming it would remain on view through the Fourth of July weekend. That broader slate of anniversary programming also included a U.S. Air Force flyover over Magic Kingdom and EPCOT on Independence Day.
What Comes Next For The Space
With the Fourth of July having passed, the portraits were taken down, and the rotunda within The American Adventure now sits empty, though benches remain in place and star-spangled bunting still lines the second-floor railing. When a special exhibit is not on display, Imagineering artwork typically hangs in the space, so new art is expected to return in the near future.
The nearby American Heritage Gallery, which most recently housed “Creating Tradition: Innovation and Change in American Indian Art,” is also temporarily closed, with its display windows blocked because the portraits had been relocated into that space during the transition. Disney has not yet confirmed what will move into either area next. EPCOT continues to evolve across its pavilions, much as it did when Frozen Ever After celebrated its 10th anniversary. You can read Disney’s earlier announcement about the exhibit’s extension on the Disney Parks Blog.
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