Claude Dambreville (Haitian, 1934-2021)

Claude Dambreville (1934–2021) was a Haitian painter, writer, and journalist born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Before dedicating himself fully to art, he served as director of the commercial broadcasting station Radio Tropiques from 1956 to 1968. In 1968 he joined the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince, where he refined his painting technique and developed his distinctive artistic voice. Dambreville further advanced his drawing through correspondence courses with the ABC School of Paris and later studied artistic anatomy at L’Atelier, directed by the renowned Haitian artist Nehemy Jean. At the Centre d’Art he met and later married the daughter of Pétion Savain, a major figure of Haiti’s first generation of modern artists. Dambreville’s paintings are recognized for their dramatic play of light and shadow, often rendered in subtle blue and gray tonalities. His works frequently portray market women and everyday figures with dignity, strength, and quiet elegance. He exhibited internationally, including in Haiti, New York, Boston, New Orleans, Paris, Mexico, Guyana, and Ivory Coast, and his work is referenced in many major books on Haitian art. Explore his available artwork below.