Hertz Nazaire with his artwork, The World Is a Little Brighter With Pain; ©Global Blood Therapeutics 2021
Hertz Nazaire passed away on October 29, 2021, from complications related to sickle cell disease (SCD) at the age of 48. Nazaire was a renowned artist and author who used his art to express the pain of SCD and raise awareness about the disease and its effects. Among his projects, he published an adult coloring book, Finding Your Colors (Indigo Book LLC, 2017), which is intended to help adults deal with the pain and depression of SCD. His puzzle art, “The world is a little brighter within pain,” is on display at Global Blood Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company in San Francisco.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Hertz Nazaire who touched so many lives with his art depicting the pain and sorrow of living with [SCD] and will miss his quiet but impactful advocacy,” said Beverley Francis-Gibson, president and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, in a statement. “This is a huge loss for the SCD community.”
Nazaire began painting in New York City, where he lived with his mother after immigrating from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He studied art at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and University of Bridgeport before he had to drop out of school because of his illness. He later moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to focus on art and spread his message.
Hertz Nazaire with his artwork, The World Is a Little Brighter With Pain; ©Global Blood Therapeutics 2021
