The painter Hertz Nazaire was born 53 years ago

A difficult youth

Having left Haiti at age 8 with his mother, Yvesrose Nazaire, he settled in New York, then in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The disease, diagnosed early, imposed chronic pain and repeated hospital stays on him. Orphaned at 13 after his mother died in a car accident, he then experienced homelessness for 8 months. His high school teachers encouraged him to turn to art; he began higher education, which the disease forced him to interrupt. He went by the name "Naz."

A body of work born from pain

Acrylic painting, mixed media, digital art, and poetry: he used a palette of bright colors inspired by Haiti to speak about pain, resilience, race, and identity. His "Sickle Cell Series" was used for educational materials around the world. In 2017, he published an adult coloring book, "Finding Your Colors." In 2021, he completed the "Waiting Room Project," 3 chairs adorned with his images that evoke the long waits in emergency rooms. He also created the character "Mr. Nobody Cares," a cardboard mask he sometimes wore in public.

A voice for the sick

He campaigned against the stigmatization of invisible illnesses and for better access to care. In 2016, the EveryLife Foundation honored him for his painting "Ten Redefined." He died on October 21, 2021, in Bridgeport, from complications of the disease, at age 48.