Paul-Henri Bourguignon (1906–1988), was an American visual artist, art critic, writer and journalist; he was born in Brussels, Belgium. He studied painting at the Académie des Beaux-Arts and art history at the Université libre de Bruxelles in Brussels. Between the two world wars Bourguignon traveled through Spain, Corsica, France, Italy, Bosnia, North Africa, and the Caribbean.Columbus Museum of Art. 2014. Paul-Henri Bourguignon: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective. ISBN 978-0-918881-50-2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-9MePL03kQ5FY_twGwVM6MdMNRaRIEqJSGW6UCftAg/edit

In 1944 Bourguignon began working as an art critic for Le Phare, Brussels' daily newspaper, and in 1947 convinced the paper to send him to Haiti, where he wrote travel articles for the paper and photographed the Haitian people.Adams, Henry. 2016. Paul-Henri Bourguignon Citizen of the World. Artist Archives of the Western Reserve. pp. 4–5. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W30u8xaoMMqcQV83Bov1hxpS_g2_I_9tq1209Dy4iuA/edit In May 1947, he met his future wife, the anthropologist Erika Eichhorn, who was doing anthropological fieldwork in Haiti.Erika Eichhorn Bourguignon obituary. 2015. The Columbus Dispatch. February 21, 2015. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dispatch/name/erika-bourguignon-obituary?id=16454819&fhid=8693

In July 1948 Bourguignon left Haiti for Peru, but returned to the US in 1950 to marry Erika, in Columbus, Ohio, where she had accepted a teaching position in the Ohio State University's Anthropology Department. During the next 38 years Bourguignon painted and sketched full time, primarily remembered scenes from his previous world travels.Dayan, Joan. 1996. "The Craft of Memory: Bourguignon's Haitian Paintings." Exhibition Catalog: Paul-Henri Bourguignon 1906–1988 The Haitian Works. Columbus, Ohio: Gallery V, 1996, pp 2–4.

Most of Bourguignon's art consists of people, both individuals and groups, and landscapes; later in life however he began producing abstractions. Although he worked in gouache in the 1950s, he later turned to acrylics. In addition to paintings Bourguignon produced pencil, pastel, and ink drawings. His work has been described as timeless, passionate and visionary.Ventana Fine Art. "Paul-Henri Bourguignon (1906–1988)" Exhibit website. https://www.ventanafineart.com/paul-henri-bourguignon

Since the 1960s Bourguignon's art has been exhibited in more than 40 solo shows,* Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington. https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=209429 primarily in Ohio but also in New York City, Sedona, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.Adams, Henry. 2016. Paul-Henri Bourguignon Citizen of the World. Artist Archives of the Western Reserve. pp. 4–5. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W30u8xaoMMqcQV83Bov1hxpS_g2_I_9tq1209Dy4iuA/editColumbus Museum of Art. 2014. Paul-Henri Bourguignon: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective. ISBN 978-0-918881-50-2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-9MePL03kQ5FY_twGwVM6MdMNRaRIEqJSGW6UCftAg/edit His art was used to illustrate Edward Lense's Via Crucis: The Way of the Cross.Lense, Edward. 2013. Via Crucis: The Way of the Cross. Igloo Press (reprinted in 2023 as The Bronze Serpent: Liturgical Poems 1975–2014. Eugene, OR: Resource Publications)

Bourguignon died September 22, 1988, in Columbus, Ohio. After his death, the Ohio History Center in Columbus recreated his art studio, which is on display as a permanent exhibit.Paolucci, Christina. 2019. "Ohio History Center--Paul Bourguignon Exhibit." Vimeo video. https://vimeo.com/355383337

Public collections Bourguignon's work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Ixelles in Brussels,Musée d'ixelles--Museum van Elsene. 2020. "AT HOME - Intérieurs de la collection du Musée d’Ixelles: Sympathique cette vue depuis le balcon de Paul-Henri Bourguignon." Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Richard Ross Museum of Art, Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, Columbus Museum of Art, Southern Ohio Museum, Ohio History Connection, and Springfield Museum of Art. His photographs are archived at Ohio State University.

References

Bibliography Abatemarco, Michael. 2014. "Faces in the Crowd, Painter Paul-Henri Bourguignon." Pasatiempo Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. February 14, 2014. pp. 36–37. Abatemarco, Michael. 2015. "Paul-Henri Bourguignon’s Paintings of Haiti, 1947." Pasatiempo, Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. March 6, 2015. https://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/art/exhibitionism/paul-henri-bourguignons-paintings-of-haiti-1947/article_56f660a9-c1fb-5577-9bf2-4cb7579e0d64.html Adams, Henry. 2016. Paul-Henri Bourguignon Citizen of the World. Artist Archives of the Western Reserve. pp. 4–5. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W30u8xaoMMqcQV83Bov1hxpS_g2_I_9tq1209Dy4iuA/edit Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. 2013. Paul-Henri Bourguignon (1906–1988). https://www.artistsarchives.org/archived_artist/paul-henri-bourguignon/ Blough, Denise. 2014. "Columbus Museum of Art to Show Work of Late Columbus Artist Paul-Henri Bourguignon." The Lantern. Columbus, Ohio. October 16, 2014. https://www.thelantern.com/2014/10/columbus-museum-of-art-to-show-work-of-late-columbus-artist-paul-henri-bourguignon/ Bourguignon, Erika. 2004. “Haiti and the Art of Paul-Henri Bourguignon.” Research in African Literatures 35.2 (2004) 173–188. [HAPB] <https://www.jstor.org/stable/3821352?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>. Bourguignon, Erika. 2013. “The Painter's Eye: Paul-Henri Bourguignon's Haitian Photographs.” American Imago Volume 70, Number 3, Fall 2013, pp. 357–383. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26305056?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents Columbus Museum of Art. 2014. Paul-Henri Bourguignon: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective. ISBN 978-0-918881-50-2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-9MePL03kQ5FY_twGwVM6MdMNRaRIEqJSGW6UCftAg/edit Columbus Museum of Art. N.D. https://5095.sydneyplus.com/final/Portal/Default.aspx?lang=en-US&g_AAAK=final+|Object+|PortalAggr+%3d+'bourguignon'&d=d Dayan, Joan. 1996. "The Craft of Memory: Bourguignon's Haitian Paintings." Exhibition Catalog: Paul-Henri Bourguignon 1906–1988 The Haitian Works. Columbus, Ohio: Gallery V, 1996, pp 2–4. Dupont, David. 2011. "Perrysburg Gallery Exhibits Work of Master Painter of the 20th Century." Sentinel-Tribune. Perrysburg, Ohio. September 11, 2011. https://www.sent-trib.com/2011/09/08/perrysburg-gallery-exhibits-work-of-master-painter-of-20th-century/ Eisele Gallery, Cincinnati. N.D. "Wonderheads: Featuring Paul-Henri Bourguignon’s Expressionist Painting." https://www.eiselefineart.com/single-post/wonderheads Erika Eichhorn Bourguignon obituary. 2015. The Columbus Dispatch. February 21, 2015. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dispatch/name/erika-bourguignon-obituary?id=16454819&fhid=8693 Fischer, Jim. 2016. "Art Preview: Off the Walls: Paul-Henri Bourguignon." Columbus Monthly, Columbus, Ohio. March 23, 2016. https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/entertainment/arts/2016/03/23/art-preview-off-walls-paul/23006650007/ Hall, Jacqueline. 1987. "Visual Arts. Review of Gallery 200 Bourguignon Exhibition." Columbus Dispatch. April 12, 1987. p. 10H. Hall, Jacqueline. 1989. "Visual Arts. Review of Gallery V Bourguignon Exhibition." Columbus Dispatch. October 22, 1989. p. 8G. Lense, Edward. 2013. Via Crucis: The Way of the Cross. Igloo Press (reprinted in 2023 as The Bronze Serpent: Liturgical Poems 1975–2014. Eugene, OR: Resource Publications). Mayr, Bill. 2005. "Spartan Drawings Depict Struggles of Jesus." Columbus Dispatch. May 19, 2005. Meyer, Deborah Raenette. 1998. "Sketches Offer Different Views of Bible Scenes." The Chapel Hill News. September 27, 1998. p. B5. Musée d'ixelles - Museum van Elsene. 2020. "AT HOME - Intérieurs de la collection du Musée d’Ixelles: Sympathique cette vue depuis le balcon de Paul-Henri Bourguignon." https://www.facebook.com/museedixelles/photos/a.376685475704170/3021938104512214/?type=3&paipv=0&eav=AfZK_Yqj1YZ3kbah_DpvYF6mJJMYBcE-HZ7tI3-GdYz7MJWR6cCZmUIaXdKfU9-gWis&_rdr The Nelson Atkins Museum. Works of Paul-Henri Bourguignon. https://art.nelson-atkins.org/people/14833/paulhenri-bourguignon;jsessionid=48AF107D24D6212D1623AD4991EA8004/objects#info The Ohio History Connection. https://museumcollections.ohiohistory.org/collection/museum/search?search=%22Paul-Henri+Bourguignon%22 The Ohio State University. Paul-Henri Bourguignon literary collection, 1911–1989. https://library.ohio-state.edu/record=5130290 Paolucci, Christina. 2019. "Ohio History Center - Paul Bourguignon Exhibit." Vimeo video. https://vimeo.com/355383337 Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington. https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=209429 Ross Art Museum. Paul-Henri Bourguignon. https://sites.owu.edu/rossart/artist-detail/?dataId=403675 The Southern Ohio Museum of Art. https://somacc.com/new-acquisitions/ pp. 10–11 Springfield Museum of Art. 2023. "Seeing Is Enough: Paul-Henri Bourguignon April 7–July 16, 2023". https://www.springfieldart.net/?exhibition=paul-henri-bourguignon Springfield Museum of Art. https://www.springfieldart.net/?collection=the-permanent-collection Staff Writer. 2012. "Gallery Features Bourguignon Work." Red Rock News. Sedona, Arizona. December 7, 2012. p. 9. Staff Writer. 2017. "ALT’s Retrospective Examines Painter Bourguignon’s Work." Red Rock News. Sedona, Arizona. January 6, 2017. p. 3. Staff writer. 2018. "Modern Master Painter Paul-Henri Bourguignon." Sophisticated Living, Cincinnati, Ohio. March/April 2018. pp. 68–69. https://issuu.com/sophisticatedliving/docs/mar-apr-2018_d2a3ba6e6d6f30 Tonguette, Peter. 2016. "Visual Arts: Art Access exhibit by Paul-Henri Bourguignon." Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. April 24, 2016. https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/2016/04/22/visual-arts-art-access-exhibit/23539584007/ Yates, Christopher. 2009. "Bourguignon Savored. Retrospective Highlights Diverse Career of Belgian Native." Columbus Dispatch. February 22, 2009. p. E7.

External links WOSU Public Media: Paul-Henri Bourguignon - dART