Paintings by Claude Dambreville
Claude Dambreville was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, December 17, 1934. He is renowned for using flat colors, "strong light and deep shadows" particularly to depict his favorite subject - women of the markets. Dambreville's paintings have an esthetic value that immediately catches the eye of the viewer. He is not satisfied to reproduce his models realistically so much as to capture the expressive line and form which gives these figures their essential Haitian character. He has a unique ability to use these techniques to show the strength, the dignity, and the grace of his subjects. His art is much too sophisticated to be included in the Haitian "naive" category.
The artist's formal training includes the study of artistic anatomy at "L'Atelier," under Nehemy. It is there that he met the famous artist Petion Savain, whose daughter he married in 1973. While best known for his art, Dambreville is also a journalist and a writer, and in the period 1956-1968 he was Director of the radio station Radio-Tropiques. He is the author of over 100 stories and articles, and of the novel "Coup de Tonnere." He co-authored the novel "L'Amerique Saigne" with Franck Etienne.
Dambreville has had one man shows thoughout Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the U.S., and his paintings are sought after by knowledgable collectors. He was sponsored by President and Mrs. Mitterand in shows at Paris and in Nime in 1991. His collectors include, aside from the Mitterands, Pierre Cardin and Denzel Washington. Please view two rooms of his work.
"Le Coup d'Oeil" "En Avant" "Reflexion Feminine"
(The Glance) (Starting Out) (Feminine Reflection)
16x12 in. 16x12 in. 24x20 in.
oil on canvas oil on canvas oil on canvas
unframed $400 unframed $400 unframed $900
"Le Rassemblement" "Marché Bruyant" "Les Carottes"
(The Gathering) (Busy Market) (Carrots)
24x20 in. 24x20 in. 24x20 in.
oil on canvas oil on canvas oil on canvas
unframed $900 unframed $900 unframed $900
"Reflexion Feminine" "March "En Repos"
(Feminine Reflection) (Market) (Resting)
16x20 in. 30x40 in. 20x16
oil on canvas oil on canvas oil on canvas
SOLD unframed $2400 unframed $650
