Castera Bazile

Born in Jacmel, Castera Bazile (1923–1966) was raised as a devout Catholic by his grandmother. He worked as a housekeeper for DeWitt Peters, the director of the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince, before he decided to paint. His murals in the Episcopal Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince: The Ascension of Christ, The Baptism of Christ, and Christ Expelling the Money Changers from the Temple, reflect his Catholic upbringing. Bazile won the Grand Prix of the Alcoa Caribbean International Competition in 1995. This was one of the honors that came his way before his untimely death from tuberculosis. His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Musée d’Art Haitien du College Saint Pierre, in Port-au-Prince; the Figge Art Museum, in Davenport, Iowa; the Milwaukee Museum of Art, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City.

From “Masterpieces of Haitian Art: Seven Decades of Unique Visual Heritage” by Candice Russell. Schiffer Publications Ltd, 2013.