Boscoe Holder born Arthur Aldwyn Holder in Port of Spain

Port of Spain

Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...

, Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

, of partly Barbadian stock, was Trinidad and Tobago's leading contemporary painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

, who also had a celebrated international career spanning six decades as a designer and visual artist, dancer, choreographer

Choreography

Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...

 and musician. He married the dancer Sheila Davis Clarke in 1948, and their son Christian was born the following year. (Christian Holder eventually became a leading dancer with the Joffrey Ballet

Joffrey Ballet

The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...

.)

He started a musical career at a young age, playing the piano professionally for rich French creole, Portuguese and Chinese families. In his teens he began painting seriously, and formed his own dance company. His style carefully preserved Afro-Caribbean tradition. His paintings and dances were inspired by the shango

Shango

In the Yorùbá religion, Sàngó is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder...

, bongo

Bongo Country

Bongo Country is referred to an entry in the All Saints, Poplar, parish register of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The entry records the baptism of Samuel Crighton, son of William Fernandez who claimed to be King of the Bongo Country on the Western Coast of Africa.There is no known kingdom of...

 and bele

Bélé

A bélé is a folk song and dance from Dominica, performed most commonly during full moon evenings, or sometimes during funeral wakes . It may be the oldest Creole dance from Dominica, and strongly reflects influences from African fertility dances. The dance is also popular in Saint Lucia...

 dances, of the slaves.

In 1950 Boscoe Holder went to live in London as a dancer and performer appearing at well known theatres. He danced in Nice, Monte Carlo, and Paris with Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....

. He continued to paint.

In the late 1960s he returned to Trinidad and quickly re-established himself as a painter. Since that time he has been exhibited all over the Caribbean. His paintings can be seen in collections throughout the world, preserving the West Indian culture. Boscoe's brother is actor Geoffrey Holder

Geoffrey Holder

Geoffrey Richard Holder is a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.-Early life:...

, who is perhaps best known for his role as the villain, Baron Samedi in the 1973

1973 in film

The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....

 James Bond film

James Bond (film series)

The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...

 Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die (film)

Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...

.

External links

• Obituary by Stephen Bourne, The Independent, 23 April 2007.