In 1998 Kolby exhibited Arrangement in Black, White and Red in Copenhagen. Posters of the painting of the African Pope were displayed around the city, and caught the eyes of a visiting US Catholic Bishop; Edward K. Braxton of St. Louis. Not only was the Bishop fascinated by the motif, but he also knew well the face of the African Pope on the poster. It was Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, and a friend of his.
The Bishop made his way to the gallery address written on the poster, and had the owner call the artist. Bishop Braxton and Kolby met at the gallery and had a meeting later that evening that was to spark a long time friendship.
The Bishop brought large posters of the African Pope with him to the Vatican, and both Cardinal Arinze and Pope John Paul II himself saw the posters.
Bishop Braxton is today the Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, USA.
