In Memory of Louis Delsarte

Louis Delsarte (Sep 1, 1944-May 2, 2020)

A message from Lisa Tuttle, Resident Artist, Jack Sinclair Gallery Committee Member, and ArtsXchange Board Member ~

Written Sunday, May 3, 2020

"Sadly, late last night, we learned of the passing of our dear friend Louis Delsarte, an extraordinary artist, charming friend, and long-time member of the arts community and the ArtsXchange family. Our hearts and love go out to his wife Jea, their daughter Rachel, their families and friends. Not only has the world lost an extraordinary painter, muralist and printmaker, we, in Atlanta’s arts community, have lost the most wonderful friend and colleague. On behalf of the ArtsXchange and the Jack Sinclair Gallery Committee, I’ve been asked to add our heartfelt expression of esteem to the multiple tributes which are sprouting up online to honor Louis - from fellow artists, former students and the art world at large. If there’s a silver lining to any of this, as Delsarte was such a prolific artist, he’s left us the long-lasting legacy of magnificent artworks to treasure - the lobby mural and facade at Southwest Arts Center Theater, the tour-de-force Delsarte MLK mural, the Spirit of Harlem mural on 125th in NYC, and works in important permanent collections, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, the Schomburg Center, Spelman College and Howard University – just to mention a very few. These losses are so much harder to process without the healing comfort of a gathering, a service, where we can come together to celebrate, memorialize and honor the life of someone we’ve appreciated and admired. Hug, cry, talk, laugh, maybe break a little bread together…That gathering, surely, is to come later down the road, and is something I know we all look forward to….

So, for now, good-bye, Louis, dearest friend! We wish you the very fondest of farewells! We will especially miss those lively conversations at exhibitions or in your studio(s). The ArtsXchange has lost one of its most renowned studio residents, and you, Louis Delsarte, will truly be missed! Know you were loved, and your spirit lives on in your beautiful artwork and our memories!"

Rest in peace ~ Lisa Tuttle

Louis Delsarte, New Hope Visions, 2008

To learn more about the life and works of Louis Delsarte visit his website. https://www.louisdelsarte.net/about