James Havard (American, b.1937) is a painter and sculptor, born in Galveston, TX. He earned a BA from Sam Houston State College in Huntsville, TX, in 1959, and attended the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts from 1961 to 1965. Throughout his 40-year career, Havard has employed various artistic techniques. His works, which range in style from Realism to Minimalism and incorporate paint, resin, and mixed media, have been categorized as Abstract Illusionism and compared to Art Brut. Havard’s paintings are often inspired by Native American and African indigenous cultures, featuring simplistic, emotive forms reminiscent of ancient cave paintings and children’s drawings. Critics and curators often praise Havard for his manipulation of paint and colors, and for his ability to inspire empathy and recognition of human emotion.
Havard’s works are included in the public collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, NM, the Los Angeles County Art Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm, Sweden, among many others. He currently lives in Santa Fe.
