Art and Me

 Art and Me

You are probably wondering how did I (Denise Allen founder of Expérience Jamaïque) switched from a career in development, humanitarian and human rights to dealing in Jamaican fine art by opening an online gallery in Switzerland.  Well here is my story.
I have always loved art and drawing was one of my favourite pastimes during childhood. In high school I studied the Europe’s masters and fell in love with Constable.  You can imagine how I felt seeing Constable’s paintings at London’s Tate Gallery several years later…awestruck.  
 

Over the years I gained a greater appreciation for Jamaican contemporary artists, many of whom were trained in Europe and later created their own style emblematic of the Caribbean identity. Others received no formal training but developed distinctive styles, often referred to as intuitive art.  I’ve also observed younger Jamaican artists exploring new themes and mediums of artistic expressions.  Naturally I began collecting art by young Jamaican artist and others with much enthusiasm, constrained only by my limited finances.
 
When I came to Geneva in 1998 that passion was overtaken by the demands of work but reawakened more recently.  Attending gallery openings here in Geneva is one of those treats that I look forward to throughout the year.   
I would like you to join me on this journey of discovering Jamaican artworks and hopefully owning a few.   You can do this by subscribing to Expérience Jamaïque pre-launch campaign leading up to our first one-day live/virtual exhibition on November 24th. Click on link for further information on what is on offer.

Also visit our art gallery:  https://www.experiencejamaique.com/product_gallery

By Denise Allen

October 2018