Five quintessential people you didn’t know were from Saint Lucia

Llewellyn Xavier

Llewellyn Xavier is a St. Lucian artist born on October 12, 1945.  Working as an agricultural apprentice after moving to Barbados, he was drawn to art after receiving a gift of watercolors.  His first exhibition was a success and another catalyst to stay in his chosen career path. In 1968 he moved to London, where he became proficient in mail art – an artistic movement geared towards sending small works of art through the postal system.  In 1979 he enrolled in the school of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and also did a short stint as a Cistercian monk in Montreal.  In 1987, he married and returned to St. Lucia.

His prominent works were produced in 1993 – a collage of recycled materials, natural prints from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and postage stamps from various countries. Xavier’s oil paintings are also all the rage.  He has dabbled in mixed media work and drawings as well.

In 2014, he received the OBE for his contributions to art and his native island.  He also founded the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park.

His masterpieces have been featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institute, Museum of Modern Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum – the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design housed in London.

In 2016, Xavier was honored with a solo exhibition at Phillips in New York – a British auction house with headquarters in London and New York City.

It’s great to be recognized for your achievements, regardless of where you’re from.