Geoffrey Holder (1930-2014) - Embracing couple

Powerful large-format painting by Geoffrey Holder (1930–2014), the Trinidadian-born dancer, actor, choreographer and painter best known for his role as Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die and for his Tony Award–winning work on the Broadway musical The Wiz. A Guggenheim Fellow in fine arts and a prolific painter, Holder developed a very personal visual language celebrating Black bodies, theatre and Caribbean life. 

The work shows an embracing couple, rendered in warm reds and deep browns, typical of his sensual, theatrical style. In 2024, Holder’s paintings were brought back into the spotlight in London in the exhibition “Boscoe Holder | Geoffrey Holder” at Victoria Miro (1 June–27 July 2024), which focused on the radiant, intimate depictions of Black men and women created by Geoffrey and his brother Boscoe. 

Details:
– Title: Untitled (Couple enlacé)
– Year: 1968
– Medium: Oil on panel, monogrammed and dated upper left
– Dimensions: approx. 124 × 184.5 cm
– Provenance: Private collection New York; private collection Paris
– Condition: Minor losses and small surface accidents (see photos).

Located in Paris, France. Careful packing; shipping or pickup to be arranged with the buyer (large, heavy panel).