{{short description|American painter and sculptor (born 1961)}} {{Infobox person | name = Chaz Guest | image = Chaz Guest in his studio.jpg | image_size = | caption = Chaz Guest in his studio | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|05|02}} | birth_place = Niagara Falls, New York, United States | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | years_active = 1985 – Present | children = Two sons | parents = Algirtha Guest<br />Rev. Theodore James Guest | spouse = | website = {{URL|www.chazguest.com}} }} '''Chaz Guest''' (born May 2, 1961<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leftcoastgalleries.com/artists/guest-new/index.htm|title=Artist Profile: Chaz Guest - Statement about the Artist|author=Rachelle Ryan Fine Art - leftcoastgalleries.com|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-date=2015-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106142947/http://www.leftcoastgalleries.com/artists/guest-new/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> in Niagara Falls, New York<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.4realmagazine.com/publication/?i=40875&p=2|title=Feature: Artist Chaz Guest Profile|author=4 Real Magazine|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205906/http://www.4realmagazine.com/publication/?i=40875&p=2|url-status=dead}}</ref>) is an American artist who works in the mediums of painting and sculpting. He is described by the ''Huffington Post'' as "an American artist of profound inventiveness."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chaz-guest/|author=The Huffington Post|title=Chaz Guest, An American Artist|website=HuffPost }}</ref>
==Life and career== Guest's parents are Algirtha Guest (born 1933) and Rev. Theodore James Guest (born 1922 - 2006). Guest's father - Rev. T. J. Guest, is a World War II Purple Heart recipient.<ref name=4Real>{{cite web|url=http://www.4realmagazine.com/publication/?i=40875&p=2|author=Elaine McDuffie - 4Real Magazine|title=Interview with Artist Chaz Guest|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205906/http://www.4realmagazine.com/publication/?i=40875&p=2|url-status=dead}}</ref> Guest is the 7th of nine brothers and sisters.<ref name="4Real"/> Guest graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from Southern Connecticut State University in 1985.<ref name="Michelles of Delaware">{{cite web|url=http://www.michellesofdelaware.com/artists/cguest/pages/main.html|title=Chaz Guest - the profile page of artist Chaz Guest on Michelle's of Delaware|author=Michelles of Delaware}}</ref> Guest grew up in a quiet community in Niagara Falls, New York with his family. His parents divorced when he was ten years old. After the divorce, he moved with his mother and siblings to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Guest has two sons, one born 1994 and one born 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.4realmagazine.com/publication/?i=40875&p=2|title=Artist Profile|author=Elaine McDuffie - 4Real Magazine|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205906/http://www.4realmagazine.com/publication/?i=40875&p=2|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Guest received a Gymnastic scholarship to go to Southern Connecticut State University (S.C.S.U.) to study Kinesiology and pursue a degree in Graphic Arts. He subsequently competed successfully in the U.S. Olympic program. After graduating from S.C.S.U., Guest moved to New York City, where he enrolled in a fashion design curriculum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. It was during this period that he honed his formal skills in drawing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leftcoastgalleries.com/artists/guest-new/index.htm|title=Chaz Guest Statement|author=Rachelle Ryan|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-date=2015-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106142947/http://www.leftcoastgalleries.com/artists/guest-new/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> While at the Fashion Institute, Guest made the acquaintance of Antonio Lopez. Lopez inspired and influenced his decision to seek work as an illustrator. Guest studied at the Fashion Institute for nine months.
In 1986, Guest moved to Paris, France, to work as a freelance fashion illustrator. Guest joined ''Joyce Magazine'' as an illustrator for their magazine covers and was responsible for the illustrations of the JOYCE magazine covers for the 1987/1988 season. It was while working at Joyce Magazine that Guest met Christian Lacroix. Lacroix encouraged him to apply his illustrator skills to painting after Lacroix saw one of Guest's illustrations of couture designs done for Joyce Magazine. After the 1987/1988 season, Guest left Joyce magazine and moved to Dax, France, where he started painting.<ref name="Michelles of Delaware"/>
After leaving the Fashion Institute of Technology, Guest began studying the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Guest also studied the paintings of Balthus. In 1991, Guest sold his first painting to a passerby outside his Soho apartment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uptownmagazine.com/uptownsocial/2011/09/chaz-guest/|title=Chaz Guest|editor=Henry Watkins|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302033625/http://uptownmagazine.com/uptownsocial/2011/09/chaz-guest/|archive-date=2014-03-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Guest's first museum exhibit was a group show, "Decoding Identity: I Do it for My People" (January 23, 2009 – March 22, 2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moadsf.org/files/eduguides/moadsf-decoding-identity-curriculum-guide.pdf|author=Museum of the African Diaspora|title=Decoding Identity: I Do it for My People (January 23, 2009 – March 22, 2009) - a group exhibit that examines the work of artists who use their work to grapple with issues of identity.}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000108101|author=San Francisco Public Library|title=Decoding Identity: I Do It For My People - San Francisco Public Library, African American Center Reading Lists}}</ref> at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco (MOAD). His works are primarily made with Sumi ink.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadour |first=Ricky |title=At Night Gallery, Chaz Guest Paints His Own Superheroes |url=https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2022/06/29/at-night-gallery-chaz-guest-paints-his-own-superheroes |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=www.culturedmag.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Notable works== In 2004, while at the home of Mattie and Michael Lawson in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, Guest was struck by the presence of Barack Obama, then running for Senate, while interacting with the guests. This image stuck with him, and he created a painting of The President based on that mental image.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/09/artist_paints_portrait_of_pres.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130010025/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/09/artist_paints_portrait_of_pres.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 30, 2011|title=Artist Paints Portrait of 'President Obama'|author=Mary Ann Akers, The Sleuth: Behind the scenes in Washington}}</ref> The President saw the painting of himself at a fundraiser at the home of Oprah Winfrey in 2008.
Guest's painting of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall hung in President Barack Obama's Oval Office at the White House.<ref>{{cite news|url=|title=Local Artist Has Painting Hanging In The White House, Chaz Guest painted a portrait of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall - VIDEO|work=CBS News|first= Whitney|last= Drolen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.africandiasporatourism.com/index.php/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=752:the-creative-genius-of-artist-chaz-guest&catid=72:features|title=Creative Genius of Artist Chaz Guest|author=Kitty J. Pope, African Diaspora Tourism|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316033817/http://www.africandiasporatourism.com/index.php/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=752:the-creative-genius-of-artist-chaz-guest&catid=72:features|archive-date=2014-03-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> On October 11, 2005, then-Senator Obama sent a note to Guest thanking him for the painting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/pdf/092408.pdf|title=Thank you note from Barack Obama to Chaz Guest for the painting of Justice Thurgood|author=Barack Obama|newspaper=The Washington Post }}</ref> Guest has also authored a serigraph series of President Obama. Subsequently, Guest was invited by Kouji Matsuzaki San, Mayor of Obama, Fukui prefecture, to present the serigraphs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toppa.com/2009/limited-edition-serigraph-of-barack-obama-by-chaz-guest/|title=Limited Edition Serigraph of Barack Obama|author=Mike Toppa|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316033929/http://www.toppa.com/2009/limited-edition-serigraph-of-barack-obama-by-chaz-guest/|archive-date=2014-03-16|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mckinleyartsolutions.com/obamaportrait.html|title=Obama Portrait: Limited edition serigraph by Chaz Guest|author=Matt McKinley / McKinley Art Solutions}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chazguest.com/downloads/Japan%20Probe%20-%20Obama.pdf|title=American Painter Chaz Guest Visits Obama City|access-date=2014-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316050618/http://www.chazguest.com/downloads/Japan%20Probe%20-%20Obama.pdf|archive-date=2014-03-16|url-status=dead}}</ref>
On February 24, 2010, Chaz Guest presented the President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statehouse.gm/Chaz-Guest_230210.htm|title=President Jammeh hosts Chaz Guest|author=Office of The Gambian President: State House Online: Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh|access-date=2014-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305075505/http://www.statehouse.gm/Chaz-Guest_230210.htm|archive-date=2014-03-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> a portrait of the Gambian President. During his visit to the Gambia, Guest discussed with the Gambian leader the renaming of James Island and Juffereh in the North Bank Region. Guest proposed to the Gambian leader that the Island be renamed 'Kunta Kinte' Island. On February 6, 2011, James Island, the former British Slave Fort used for the slave trade of Africans in the River Gambia in the North Bank Region, was renamed by the Gambian President to Kunta Kinte Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msyinternational.com/thegambiarootsfestival2011/?p=56|title=Renaming of James Island to Kunta Kinte Island during the International Roots Festival 2011–Gambia, West Africa|author=gambiarootsfestival2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727010143/http://msyinternational.com/thegambiarootsfestival2011/?p=56|archivedate=2012-07-27}}</ref> At the renaming ceremony of James Island in 2011, Guest revealed the miniature replica of his 30-foot statue of Kunta Kinte that will be displayed on Kunta Kinte Island.
Guest created two paintings to help the family of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager killed in an incident in Florida in 2012, to support Martin's younger brother. Guest donated the proceeds from selling the paintings to the Martin Family.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/13/trayvon-martin-painted-by-chaz-guest-photos.html|author=Isabel Wilkinson|title=Trayvon Martin: Painted by Chaz Guest - One Los Angeles artist, a favorite of President Obama, has captured the Trayvon Martin tragedy in paint. How Chaz Guest is honoring the teenager's legacy.|website=The Daily Beast |date=13 April 2012 }}</ref> Mr. Guest also did a painting of Troy Davis - a man sentenced to death for the murder of a Georgia police officer in 1991, for Amnesty International, USA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/multimedia/artist-chaz-guest-paints-troy-davis|author=Amnesty International|title=Artist Chaz Guest paints Troy Davis}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Ftwe8uGVg|author=Amnesty International|title=Troy Davis, a man on death row in Georgia. Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a Georgia police officer in 1991.|website=YouTube }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nancylockhart.blogspot.com/2011/09/troy-davis-painting-by-chaz-guest.html|author=Nancy Lockhart, M.J.|title=Your Legal Analyst: Organizing In The Trenches - Troy Davis Painting By Chaz Guest}}</ref>
Guest was named the Goodwill Ambassador to the Republic of Gambia, West Africa, in 2011 and the U.S. spokesperson for the 2014 International Roots Festival in Gambia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/acclaimed-artist-named-us-national-spokesperson-for-2014-intl-roots-festival|title=Acclaimed artist named US national spokesperson for 2014 Int'l Roots Festival|author=Daily Observer|access-date=2014-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316034631/http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/acclaimed-artist-named-us-national-spokesperson-for-2014-intl-roots-festival|archive-date=2014-03-16|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://africandiasporatourism.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1035:acclaimed-artist-chaz-guest-chosen-as-us-spokesperson-for-2014-gambia-international-roots-festival-&catid=119:6|author=Kitty J. Pope|title=Acclaimed Artist Chaz Guest Chosen as U.S. National Spokesperson for 2014 International Roots Festival}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.chazguest.com}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Guest, Chaz}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:People from Niagara Falls, New York Category:American male painters Category:African-American sculptors Category:21st-century African-American artists Category:20th-century African-American painters Category:20th-century American painters Category:21st-century American painters