Haitian American Artist Guy Stanley Philoche Is ‘Giving Us Our Flowers’

Guy Stanley Philoche is an acclaimed Haitian American artist who found art as his refuge and driving force at an early age. Over twenty years after moving to New York with only five thousand dollars and a duffel bag, Guy has solidified himself in the art world with collections like “New York, I Still Love You.” As people fled New York during the height of COVID-19, Guy stayed and poured his soul and finances back into the art community. In March 2020, he put a call to action on his social media, offering to purchase as much great art as possible. Soon, artists from inside and outside the United States were posting their artworks, and Guy bought as much as he could, giving birth to the Philoche Collection. To date, Guy has purchased over $250K worth of art from artists across the globe, including New York, NY; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Kansas City, MO; London, UK; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Sydney, AU and more.

Now, Guy is giving back to the Black community through his new collection, “Give Us Our Flowers,” which features historical icons like James Baldwin and Jackie Robinson, culture shifters like Lena Waithe and the late Virgil Abloh, and everyday people. The collection of portraits will be shown at the LA ART SHOW convention center from February 14th to 18th and at The Lurie Gallery on the 24th. Bruce Lurie, Owner of Lurie Gallery, had this to say about the collection. “I’ve been following the works of Guy Stanley Philoche for about ten years now. We’ve also become good friends, though I only really see him at art fairs. I’m so impressed with this new body of work his developed over the past few years. The work captures the everyday life of African American kids and youth that always put a smile on my face. His photorealistic playful scenes are provocative and enlightening, always portraying positivity in daily life activities.”

Numerous corporations have purchased Guy’s collections, and celebrities have admired and acquired his work, including George Clooney Um, Thurman To, Tommy Hilfiger, Dorinda Medley of RHONY, and more. Three notable acquisitions are The Gates Foundation, which acquired the “Nope Not Today” painting, and Delta, which acquired the “Yes We Can!” painting from my series “Give Us Our Flowers.” In addition, the “Wall Street” painting from his series “New York I Still Love You” was just acquired by DV Trading as part of their corporate collection.

Guy sat for an interview to discuss his career, his new collection, “Give Us Our Flowers,” and much more. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Stephanie Tharpe: What is your background, and when did you know you wanted to be an artist?

Guy Stanley Philoche: I was born in Haiti and came to the US at five. I grew up in Connecticut. I didn’t speak the language at all and was a weird, awkward kid. I started learning English by watching Saturday night cartoons and soap operas. I drew a lot then and found my way in the world through art around the sixth or seventh grade. I discovered my passion when I visited museums and saw all these fantastic paintings. I found my voice in the world and my place in the world through art, you know, and fast-forward a little later, in high school, when I realized this is what I genuinely want to do. When you have two Caribbean parents, the two most important things are religion and education. Most of them want you to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, or government worker. When I told my mom I wanted to attend art school, she told me no, I was too bright, and she and my dad weren’t paying for it. So, at seventeen, I kissed them goodbye and went to Paier College of Art, then Yale. Once I received my master’s, I moved to New York with five thousand dollars, a duffel bag, and a dream.

Stephanie Tharpe: How did you stay on your destined path when your family had other expectations of you?

Guy Stanley Philoche: My mom told me, “I scrubbed enough toilets, so you never have to.” I understand the sacrifice my parents made, and deep down, I knew failure was not an option for me. I had something to prove. Many years later, my dad and I were walking around the neighborhood, and he said, “I just want to say out of all my boys, I rode you the hardest, and I’m really sorry.” I thought something was wrong with him because my parents don’t talk like that. But he didn’t need to apologize to me. Tough love was the best thing my parents did for me because it kept me fighting. I always tell people that if you look at racehorses, they all have blinders and only see the finish line. Since the sixth grade, I’ve had blinders on. If it didn’t revolve around art, It was meaningless to me.

Stephanie Tharpe: What inspired the “Give Us Our Flowers ” Collection?

Guy Stanley Philoche: This collection actually started by accident. My lawyer and good friend passed away two years ago. He was also a collector of mine. I’ve dealt with grief and death before. But this really hit home for me, and traditional therapy wasn’t working for me in this case. So, I found myself sitting in my studio just sketching him. For the last portrait I did of him, I drew a flower around him; it was my way of giving him his flowers. Once I did that, I knew I had something, and the series started from there.

Stephanie Tharpe: Some of the subjects for your portraits are renowned individuals like James Baldwin and Jackie Robinson. How did you choose who would be included?

Guy Stanley Philoche: There are people out there who’s just had who haven’t been acknowledged and some that have. I chose people like James Baldwin, who was ahead of his time, as most artists are, because I wanted to thank you for all he’s done and all they have done. I also did a portrait of Misty Copeland; he was the first Black principal ballerina, which should be celebrated. A majority of my subjects are everyday people and children. When the media looks at us, they don’t see doctors, lawyers, judges, or professionals. They see criminals or entertainers. I want to shift that narrative through this collection.

It’s also essential to take into consideration the history of portraits. They were historically reserved for the white and wealthy. Getting your portrait painted was a sign of wealth, status, and power. As a kid walking through museums, I never saw us ( Black people) in the portraits. We were always painted in scenes of slavery and bondage. So, I wanted my portraits to celebrate us in a way where we would be seen! All of the subjects in the portraits are in black and white, so you can focus on and appreciate them.

Stephanie Tharpe: What advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Guy Stanley Philoche: The first thing is to be consistent and keep putting the hours into the studio. The most important thing is patience. I’ve been in New York for twenty-two years, and only for the last ten has my career taken off. Now, I’m in some amazing collections like Barclay Investments. I have a series that I did called “No Comment.” These were very powerful paintings that I did fifteen years ago. They were nude portraits of women who had high-profile jobs, but they felt like they couldn’t get ahead because they were not part of a boys club. I shopped those paintings around; no one wanted them because they were too controversial. Fifteen years later, the “Me Too movement” happened; the same museums, the same curators, the same major collectors who said no to them, we’re begging for them now. When I first painted them, I was willing to sell them for twenty thousand dollars, but I ended up selling all eight for over a hundred and twenty thousand dollars each.

So the moral of the story is, be patient; your time will come. As artists, we’re ahead of the curve a lot of the time. So, it takes a while to catch up.

Stephanie Tharpe: What do you want viewers to take away after seeing the “Give Us Our Flowers Collection?”

Guy Stanley Philoche: I want them to be touched and moved. I have a lot of white collectors, and when they see these portraits, they say, “Wow, Guy, these are beautiful. What does give us our flowers mean?” And when I explain, they are taken aback. When people look at this collection, I want them to see themselves. As I said, many subjects in the portraits are everyday people. I wish to visit the exhibit, go home, and say, “Let me call my mom, friend, or family member and give them their flowers today.”

Stephanie Tharpe: What will your legacy be, Guy?

Guy Stanley Philoche: It’s always legacy over currency for me. When I’m gone, I want people to go to museums, see my work, and know my story. I want people to understand I’m a kid from Haiti. I’m not supposed to be talking to someone with Forbes right now. I’m not supposed to be in this space. I’m not supposed to be hanging in museums. People are not supposed to be spending $120,000 on my paintings. No, I’m supposed to be in the office. Doing God knows what, collecting a pension, and just being a good old Caribbean boy. I want young Black kids, especially Caribbean kids, to see if I can come to this country without speaking the language and do it. I did it, and they can too.

You can view Guy’s claimed collection, “Give Us Our Flowers,” at the LA ART SHOW convention center from February 14th to 18th.

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