Haiti: Spirit of Nostalgia

Eric Girault

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work depicts the social issues of everyday life of the humble. I introduced the Neo-Impressionism style that best suits my emotions to express my views. My palette is somber. It is a mixture of green, blue, ochre, white, brown and sometimes orange, that some critics describe as pastel tones. My visual style and selection of colors has remained constant since my early days in Haiti when I received the edit from my mentor, Lazar to “never change it, not even for gold”.

Artist Featured in Exhibition

Eric Girault - Caribbean Table

Born in Jeremie, Haiti in 1937, Eric Girault resides in New York City. As a youngster in Haiti, he exhibited a passion for drawing. At the age of thirteen he entered his school’s Flag Day Drawing Contest and won 2nd Prize. This event and the encouragement of his family and friends provided the confidence and motivation for young Girault to pursue a career in the arts.

In 1960, Girault arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti where he met Maestro Issa El Saieh, the world renowned musician who also operated the most prestigious art gallery in Haiti. So impressed by the artistic talent and potential of Girault, El Saieh introduced him to the Brochette Art Gallery; there, Girault was received by two masters of Haitian art—Lucner Lazard and Dieudonne Cedor—who provided him his basic foundation. Although he eventually departed Haiti to pursue his dream to become an international artist, he remembered their invaluable advice: Cedor advised him to “stay away from commercialism”, and Lazard instructed, “You have a beautiful palette; never change it, not even for gold.”

Girault had several successful one-man shows at the Nader Gallery and the National Art Gallery of Haiti, and his work began to travel internationally. In 1968 he exhibited with the Foyer Des Arts Plastiques in two biennial shows in Sao Paolo, Brazil. In 1972 he participated in the Esposicion de Arte de Las Americas in Mexico. In 1973 he exhibited in the Dominican Republic. Since that time, Girault has consistently exhibited on a worldwide stage. In the U.S., he has exhibited in Chicago, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and in numerous venues in New York, including the Dorsey Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. His art has been acquired by corporate and private collectors, including dignitaries.

Now, at the age of 78, Girault still actively paints in his New York studio, despite fighting severe vision loss.