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Jimmy the chimpanzee is artist in residence at Niteroi zoo in Brazil. Zoo officials are planning an exhibition of his paintings

RIO DE JANEIRO – A retired circus chimpanzee is the Cezanne of simians, drawing crowds to a Brazilian zoo to watch him paint. The 26-year-old chimp called Jimmy has been producing surprisingly lovely paintings each day for three weeks at the Niteroi Zoo.

Trainer Roched Seba said Monday Jimmy doesn't like the toys and other diversions that other chimps enjoy. So three weeks ago, Seba introduced him to painting after reading about animals in zoos elsewhere that enjoyed a little canvas time.

Temperamental as great artists can be, Jimmy at times declines to paint if his cage is surrounded by too many gawkers.

But for at least 30 minutes a day, he carefully dips his brush into plastic paint containers and uses broad, bold strokes to create his art.

Jimmy the chimpanzee is artist in residence at Niteroi zoo in Brazil. Zoo officials are planning an exhibition of his paintings

Jimmy, a 26-year-old chimpanzee paints a cardboard at a zoo in Niteroi, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 20, 2010. The monkey's paintings have been catching everyone's attention at a Brazilian zoo, and an exhibition for Jimmy the chimp is already in the works.

Jimmy, a 26-year-old chimpanzee, and Roched Seba, who has been teaching him how to paint, caress themselves as Seba holds a painting made by the chimp at a zoo in Niteroi, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 20, 2010. The monkey's paintings have been catching everyone's attention at a Brazilian zoo, and an exhibition for Jimmy the chimp is already in the works.

Eggplant Green Curry Recipe:

There are a lot of special ingredients in this curry. We've provided links to Amazon for some of the harder-to-find items, and most can be found at an Asian market if there is one near you. Also most of these ingredients can usually be found at Whole Foods.

Ingredients

Vegetable or grapeseed oil
2 Japanese eggplants, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded, sliced into sticks
1 can of bamboo shoots
2 1/2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 can coconut milk
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk, cut into three pieces and bruised
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup Thai Basil or Sweet Basil leaves
1-3 Thai chilies, depending on your heat preference
Lime for garnish (optional)

Method

1 Place a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan over high heat. Add eggplant and stir-fry until skin becomes lightly brown and blistered, and the eggplant insides begin to soften and get a slight sear, about 3 to 4 minutes. The eggplant will absorb the oil, if some of the eggplant pieces don't get any add a little more oil. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
2 Place another tablespoon of vegetable oil in the wok heat over medium heat. Add the curry paste - be careful, as it will cause the oil to spit - and sauté over medium heat until fragrant, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add half of the coconut milk and mix, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
3 Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, brown sugar, and remaining coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the bamboo shoots, cooked eggplant, and bell pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened a bit. Stir in basil and chilies and remove from heat. Serve over rice with lime wedges on the side.
Serves 4.