NAHANT — Hundreds gathered at the Nahant Community Center Friday night to celebrate and honor the world-renowned artist Norman Laliberté two years after he died at the age of 95 in his Nahant home.
As the crowd made its way through the Serenity Room on the building’s second floor, eyes wandered through the artist’s prolific collection of intricate, brightly colored paintings, sculptures, banners, and letters.
The Nahant Historical Society and Nahant Cultural Council’s “Laliberté Life!” exhibit showcases more than 40 samples of Laliberté’s work, including his personally decorated letters to friends and family, and co-curator Anne Spirn’s photos of the artist crafting one of his pieces over the course of two days.
Spirn first saw Laliberté’s work in the early 1970s in an exhibit at the American Museum of Folk Art in New York City. When she moved to Nahant in the early 2000s, Spirn said she was surprised to learn that the artist lived in her new town. She described Laliberté as a warm, energetic personality with a positive outlook and an endless capacity for love, joy, and imagination.
“He’s done over 200 shows, but this is a very special show. It’s like a love letter to Norman Laliberté from his friends in Nahant,” Spirn said. “He painted every day and just had this constant flow of ideas and images in his head. It’s incredible.”
Laliberté’s abstract expressionist style drew from Catholic themes, as well as ancient Aztec, Greek, and Egyptian styles the artist picked up during his travels. During his career, he taught at the Kansas City Art Institute, Boston College, Notre Dame, and the Rhode Island School of Design, and published more than 20 books on contemporary art.
The artist was first recognized internationally in 1964, when the Vatican commissioned him to design and hang 88 brightly colored banners at the Vatican Pavilion during the 1964 World’s Fair.
“He grew up in Montreal, and he always said it was very gray all winter long,” Laliberté’s friend Anne Bromer said. “And he said he was going to use pink instead of gray — he was going to use color. His palette became purple, orange, and hot pink — even his socks were never gray or black.”
Nahant Historical Society Executive Director Julie Tarmy said she knew and appreciated Laliberté as a friend first, before noticing his unique artistic gifts.
“I had seen sculptures in his yard, because he had done some metal sculptures. He was a neighbor of mine, we lived across from each other, but it was his personality that drew me to his heart,” Tarmy said. “He invited myself and my husband to come into the studio while he was there and he just showed us around. He would let complete strangers into his house, make them cookies and tea. He just wanted to get to know them.”
As the crowd made its way downstairs for wine and hors d’oeuvres, Laliberté’s widow, Laurel Laliberté, told the crowd her husband would have been overwhelmed with joy if he was there to see the event.
“I know Norman is crying tears of joy this evening — and a little jealous, because no one enjoyed a party more than Norman,” Laurel Laliberté said. “I’m not going to speak about the art because it has a very strong voice of its own and it has been written about by professionals.
What feels more important to meet most important tonight is to shed a light on Norman’s very special relationship with this tiny town that he loved so very much.”
“The Laliberté Life!” exhibit will remain open to the public from 1-4 p.m. until Oct. 15 at 41 Valley Road.
