Benjamin Nicholas (1930 - 2012)

Benjamin Nicholas was one of Belize's leading artists and the one-man chronicler of the history and culture of the Garifuna Indians. The Garifuna are an Afro-Caribbean people descended from African slaves who were shipwrecked on the island of St. Vincent and inter-married with the indigenous Carib Indians. Defeated by the British in 1797, they were deported to the islands and coast of Nicaragua, Honduras and Belize.

The son of a banana farmer, Benjamin Nicholas was born in 1930 in the southern coastal village of Barranco. He began to draw while attending primary school, and as a young man studied both commercial and fine art in Guatemala. Returning to Belize, he gained the notice of an American collector who sponsored his study of art at the University of Minnesota for three years. Nicholas' paintings depict both the history and the daily life and culture of the Garifuna people around him - from fishing and farming to healing ceremonies and mourning rites. Nicholas' reputation has steadily grown in Belize and abroad.  The renowned Belizean artist has been recognized internationally and was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.  He received many awards and mural commissions in public buildings.

We were informed by Mr. Nicholas' son Isiah that he passed away on April 9,  2012.
An obituary for Benjamim Nicholas can be found at:  http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/69013

Benjamin Nicholas (1930-2012), a renowned Belizean sculptor, painter, visual proponent of Garifuna culture, and one of the fathers of Belizean Arts. His paintings can be seen in banks and museums as well as private collections and museums worldwide, including in the U.S., Cuba, Venezuela and South Africa. 

Benjamin was born in Belize’s southernmost village of Barranco on August 6, 1930 and was raised on a family farm near Boyo Creek in that same community. His father was Ignatius Nicholas and his mother Perfecta Avilez-Nicholas. By the time he was ten years old he was recognized as a talented painter with a keen eye for details. Even from those early details his favorite paintings were focused on elders of his community. 

During his late teens to early twenties, Benjamin traveled to Guatemala where he became exposed to the works of a number of artists. After returning to Belize he settled first in Barranco, then Punta Gorda and Belize City before finally settling in Dangriga. He was married to Ysidora Lauriano Nicholas and they had five children. 

During the 1970s, Benjamin met Paul Mineli, one of his first major patrons and who became a great mentor and promoter of his art pieces, even publicizing his work. Benjamin also benefited from the patronage of Tom Slocum, who, as a visitor to Belize, showed much appreciation of Benjamin’s art that he provided assistance for him to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design at the University of Minneapolis from 1970-73. His motivation for focusing on Garifuna people and culture as the primary subject of his art came from his realization that the several museums that he visited had no paintings of his people, the Garinagu. 

Shortly after his return from Minneapolis, he built his studio at his home in Dangriga. From there he produced thousands of paintings on canvas, but also on wood and turtle shells. In recognition of his stellar lifetime achievement he received numerous awards, including M.B.E., University of Texas award, and other. From Barranco, to the world, the gift of Benjamin Nicholas remains beautifully painted.

Source: Institute for Social and Cultural Research (ISCR)