Bernard Sèjourné

Biography

Born November 20, 1947, in Port-au-Prince, Bernard Sèjourné was one of Haiti's most refined painters and a pillar of the so-called 'École de la Beauté.' The son of a prosperous planter family, he studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Port-au-Prince, the Jamaica School of Arts & Crafts, and later at the Art Students League in New York. Sèjourné's art moved away from the folkloric naïf style toward a sophisticated modernism that celebrated elegance and grace. He painted luminous female figures, tropical blossoms, and dreamlike landscapes with sensuous curves and delicate movement. His masterful use of light and line gave his subjects an aura of spiritual calm. He gained international attention in 1986 when his painting was chosen for the Château Mouton Rothschild wine label, representing Haiti on a global stage. Sèjourné's legacy endures as a symbol of refinement in Haitian art—a visionary who painted the island's beauty with poise and emotional depth. He passed away in 1994.