Saint-Louis Blaise
Saint-Louis Blaise (1956—1993), or St. Louis Blaise, was a Haitian painter.
Born in Cap-Haïtien, Blaise began painting in 1971, studying with Charles Anatole and the Bottex brothers. He moved to Port-au-Prince, where he worked for a time at Galerie Issa. He achieved success and fame before passing away at the age of 37 from a brain tumor.[1] Blaise's brothers, Fabolon, Serge Moléon and Andre Blaise (born 1961), are also noted painters; Blaise however was the most successful of the brothers. Andre and Serge Moléon are the only surviving members of the Blaise family of painters. Blaise had the longest business relationship with Galerie Monnin in Pétion-Ville, Haïti, whose owner Michel Monnin acted as Blaise’s manager and was also his long time and best friend.
Saint-Louis Blaise painted historical scenes, especially scenes from the Haitian Revolution and the reign of Henri Christophe. Later "he turned his attention to paintings of exaggeratedly fat members of the Haitian bourgeoise in a manner reminiscent of Botero. But whatever the subject, his attention to detail was unrivalled."[2]
His works are widely collected and are particularly popular in France, where they have been exhibited in Paris. The painting shown is in the collection of the Galerie Monnin, who are the agents for Blaise's estate, along with his widow, Marie Wilmina Blaise (née Victor). Blaise is also survived by two children Marc Donald Blaise and Nicoletta Mikline Blaise. The family migrated to the United States after Blaise’s passing.
References
- Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. p. 108. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
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