Henri Robert Bresil (Haitian, 1952-1999)

Over the last five years, the artwork of Henri Robert Bresil (Haitian, 1952-1999) has received low estimates starting at $200 and high estimates of $ 2,500 for realized sales at auction.  The highest sales price occurred at the May 22, 2011 20th Century Art and Design sale at Treadway Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Lot 716, "Harvest Landscape" sold for $3,000.  Dated circa 1980, the oil on canvas on board depicts people at work on land and water.

Bresil was born in Gonaives, in the northwestern region of Haiti in September of 1952. Although he started to paint at a rather young age, his career really began only after he settled in Port-au-Prince in 1973.

He is known for his great landscapes; jungle scenes, with a mass of stylized trees that invade the canvas without leaving room for the sky. The whiteness of a waterfall, the red of one or more birds or the yellow of some fruits often enlightens the green that dominates his canvases. The composition is always repetitive and elaborate, creating a very decorative and popular effect.

Bresil has received glowing reviews in art and decoration magazines. Art critics particularly appreciate his work for his perfectionist techniques and the meticulous execution of his compositions.

He won the Ispan-Unesco prize of honor at the Museum of Haitian Art. He has had shows in the United States as well as in Europe. He exhibits in many galleries in Haiti and abroad. He is very popular in Japan, where they are fond of his delicate and refined jungles.

Bresil died in the first week of April 1999.

Source: MedaliaArt, August 2013

"Harvest Landscape," c. 1980, oil on canvas on board, 48" x 70"