#472: Sejourne Retrospective in New York (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Hoover, Julie H. <Hoover@pbworld.com>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Exceptional works from private collections by the noted Haitian painter
Bernard Sejourne, who died on October 28, 1994, can be seen at the Cinque
Gallery from September 24 through October 25, 1999.  Sejourne, one of
Haiti's most prominent artists, is celebrated in this comprehensive
retrospective.  It includes many of his most vibrant works from selected
stages of his artistic development.  His paintbrush, pallatte, and
sketchpad, along with photographs and videos further deepen viewers'
appreciation of the man, his life, and his art.

Sejourne began his art education at the age of 12 when he studied at
l'Academie des Beaux-Arts in Port-au-Prince.  In 1966 he went to Jamaica to
further his studies at the Jamaica School of Fine Arts and in 1968, he came
to New York where he studied at the Art Students League.  In 1973, he
returned to Haiti, becoming part of an art movement made up of young
"schooled" artists.  Referred to as artists of the "School of Beauty", their
quest was to bring harmony, proportion, and a delicate technique in their
paintings, extolling the beauty of the female.  Sejourne became their
leader.

The women Sejourne painted were nearer the idealistic than the real and for
the most part, especially in his later works, they have masks in lieu of
faces.  With all the wealth of his fertile imagination, he created a world
of his own for women-surrounding them with flowers, leaves, and sea shells.
In addition to his figurative works, strongly represented in this show,
Sejourne painted landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, and abstracts.  He was
also an accomplished sculptor.

Having established himself as an important artist, Sejourne began exhibiting
in Africa, South America, Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean.

In 1985, Sejourne reached one of the high points in his career when he
created the artwork for the 1986 label of Chareau Mouton Rothschild, the
famous Premier Cru Bordeau wine.  This work joined the Mouton Rothschild
labels of such celebrated artists as Picasso, Braque, Chagall, Dali, Miro,
Warhol, and Motherwell.   Baroness Philippine de Rothschild in describing
Sejourne's painting said, "Rising from the darkest night, this trio of masks
captures the spirit of a very ancient culture, Sejourne's own, and presents
it in a style-to some extent reminiscent of surrealism-that links him with
modern Western art.  Created on wood, it is one of the most accomplished
examples of his wholly original art."

Lovers of Haitian naif painting and others who want to understand the
various art movements that have taken place from 1804 to the present will be
especially interested in this exhibit.

For further information, please contact Audi Bratton at (212) 966-3464.  The
Cinque gallery is located at 560 Broadway, Suite 504.  Gallery hours are
Tuesday-Saturday, 1:30-6:00.