With a considerable roster of A-list collectors, among them George Clooney, Uma Thurman and Tommy Hilfiger, Haitian-born modern artist Guy Stanley Philoche uses his inimitable success to bolster fellow creatives.
Contemporary artist Guy Stanley Philoche with French bulldog Picasso in his studio
From his public art series Art for the People to purchasing works from artists struggling financially due to the pandemic, this philanthropist and humanitarian is one to watch. Here, Philoche, represented locally by Cavalier Galleries, takes us inside his colorful world. 235C Worth Ave., Palm Beach, cavaliergalleries.com; philochestudios.com
From the Come Fly With Me series, “Neon Blue”
What are your artistic inspirations? I’m a painter and a mixed media contemporary artist; I enjoy creating art that people can use all their senses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than focusing my art on the struggles of the moment, I wanted to take people on a different path. My objective was to make people smile and remember happier, more innocent times as a child—away from the current fear of death and pain. The Remembering Your Innocence series was painted on Masonite board versus canvas, as the art stores were shut down. In the same time frame, the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction across the country. The direction of the paintings changed from innocence to social change, resulting in what I call rEVOLution. My hope is for a revolution that leads to love and peace.
“Sally Brown” from rEVOLution can be viewed at Cavalier Galleries
Palm Beach is host to a notable arts scene. What does it mean to be part of this influential crowd? The Palm Beach gallery scene is developing into a significant center for contemporary, modern and historic art dealers. As we know, Palm Beach has some of the most important privately housed collections in the world, with wonderful art institutions led by the Norton Museum of Art, to which Cavalier Galleries has recently donated over $100,000 worth of art. Two of my works, ‘Steamboat Willie’ and ‘Love, Tweety,’ were included in the donation, alongside works from fellow artists Jim Rennert, William Nelson and Bjorn Skaarup. It is very exciting to be part of this movement and personally enjoyable to view the outstanding works being offered to collectors who are coming in from all over the world.
Which of your works can be viewed at Cavalier Galleries now? It’s always rewarding to see my paintings displayed—whether it’s at the gallery or in the home or office of a happy collector. Currently, Cavalier Galleries’ Palm Beach location is showing my rEVOLution paintings, which are focused on innocence and social change.
“Kimberly” is part of No Comment
Your can’t-miss local spots? Whenever I’m in Palm Beach, I always make sure to head to my favorite lunch spots: Bice and Le Bilboquet. Both are steps from the gallery. Bice is my home away from home, and Le Bilboquet’s Cajun chicken entree is one of a kind. After work, Ron [Cavalier, president of Cavalier Galleries] and I like to hit Café L’Europe to hang out and decompress. He introduced me to its special soft scrambled egg with sturgeon caviar, and it’s become my afterwork go-to snack.
“Domino” from the Game series
What’s on the horizon? What’s next for me is the next phase in my pursuit to purchase as much artwork as possible. I’ve always committed to purchasing a painting whenever I sell a painting, and during the pandemic, that was no different. In March 2020, I put out a video on my Instagram handle to my followers that I’m purchasing as much artwork as possible to help support my fellow local and struggling artists. With the support of my gallery and my amazing collectors, I’ve been able to purchase over $75,000 worth of art from over 150 artists across the globe and have created the Philoche Collection. I’m working to bring the collection to the public—so stay tuned!
Photography by: By Udo Spreitzenbarth; courtesy of the artist
