About Us

Laurie Carmody Ahner, 2011

Since 1980, Laurie Griesedieck Ahner has been able to share her particular love and passion for colorful art from around the world with others through her art gallery.   She first discovered such art in Haiti, and since then her scope has broadened to include the Caribbean, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Southern Asia, Africa, the United States, and Canada. Her first trip to Haiti was in 1978 after the tragic death of her first husband, James G. Varley Jr. Laurie decided to visit Haiti and its wonderful artists who paint colorful and joyous works of art. She was immediately drawn to the primitive style and started to visit Haiti on a regular basis to buy art there. As an Art History scholar and avid collector of this specialized art form, Laurie strives to bring international folk art to an ever-broadening audience through Galerie Bonheur, her residence and gallery, located in St Louis.  The gallery represents world-renowned artists from around the globe, perhaps most notably including Amos Ferguson, who is often referred to as the Picasso of the Bahamas.

When asked about what draws her to Folk Art, Laurie says, “I find the general feeling of folk art happy, refreshing, expressive, and spiritual. It speaks from the heart and soul, and cheers me up every day of my life. Folk art is charming, and easy to understand and appreciate. It expresses the world as the everyday man sees it, conveys the joy found in nature and the beauty of the world God created. Folk art is full of such earnest feelings of faith and peace which have become hard to come by in our fast-paced and materialistic culture. I named my gallery "Bonheur" which is French for "happiness, good feelings, or joy" as these are the feelings that I think that art should bring into our lives.” To that end, Laurie has written and published several books highlighting art and culture by region, as well as catalogs of works by individual artists. The first of these regional publications, “What Color is Joy – Guatemala”, which features over 200 photographs artfully arranged and narrated throughout 150 pages,  is available through the gallery and the website. Other publications include “Amos Ferguson – Master of Color”,” Mary Whitfield – Remember your Past”, and” John Barton – A Compulsion to Paint”, as well as  individual catalogs of Paul Graubard and Janice Kennedy, artists represented by Galerie Bonheur. Laurie travels extensively around the world to discover art and artists for her collection, and to develop relationships with the artists which last for many years. Her travels have taken her to many of the poorest and most faraway lands where tourists seldom venture. There she finds some of the most authentic, expressive and true forms of folk art from people who have not been influenced by the financial lure of the Western world and its constant hunger for money. These artists are making art for their own personal and spiritual expression and satisfaction, and often to support t basic human needs for clothing, shelter, and food. Thus, the works of art are a true and authentic example of their national culture. Many of Laurie’s treasures are works of art never before seen in the United States. She has discovered folk art in remote towns in the Andes Mountains of Venezuela, dusty and poor villages in India, overlooked artists’ colonies in Guatemala, off-the-beaten track areas of Romania and Bulgaria, and other lands such as Trinidad and the Bahamas. As a gallery director and photo-journalist Laurie has visited Cuba four times to scout for unknown and neglected folk artists who may have been overlooked due to the US embargo. She has found Cuba to have a wealth of talent as well as inspirational and creative people. The art pieces that Laurie finds always have an authenticity, and unique context and story behind them. These are not things that everyone else in one’s neighborhood owns, nor are they sold in most department stores or mass-retailers all over the world. They are special expressions by the artists who make them. One of Laurie’s incentives is to bolster a dying breed of local artists and craftspeople. She is helping these artisans and supporting what they do. Handmade crafts and the techniques used to make them in these third world countries, and the artists as well are an “endangered species”. “I wear many of the beautiful textiles that I discover and have coats, jackets, bedspreads, quilts, handbags, etc made from many of the intricate hand woven and hand made fabrics. I will not pay the price for PRADA, nor do I wish to wear an item that will be out of style in less than a year which I can see several other people wearing! These artists that I find are national treasures and they need the support and encouragement of the rest of the world to keep creating.”    Galerie Bonheur has exhibited broadly throughout the USA in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, and Santa Fe. The Galerie also has a comprehensive website GalerieBonheur.com, presenting art and crafts from over 40 countries including: Africa,  Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil,  Bulgaria,  Chile,  Costa Rica, Cuba,  the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Peru, Poland, Romania, Venezuela, and USA, and featuring art in many medium including paint, wood and metal sculpture, paper mache’, tapestry, sequins and beads, textiles, and ceramics, Exciting recent additions to the collection include fashions which Laurie has designed and which were created from textiles discovered in her travels. These may currently be viewed on her new Amazon website store called: “Cultural Couture.” Tours of Galerie Bonheur are available by appointment only, and may be arranged through the website GalerieBonheur.com, by email gbonheur@aol.com or by calling 314-993-9851. WHAT IS "FOLK ART"? By Maleen H. Corrigan, Folk Art Collector The realm of folk art is defined not so much by the work itself as by the extent to which the artist allows his inner voice to be heard and spoken. All folk art is characterized by a directness and vigor, strength of feeling and passion that is immediately sensed by the viewer. All folk artists, regardless of their country of origin, have one thing in common: they are self-taught , developing their own unique style within the context of their own limited experience. Many folk artists are the products of remote, poor villages; others live in developed cities and might in fact be employed in somewhat sophisticated jobs. All, however, make art without the sophistication of education. Their impetus for making their art evolves simply from the need to release an inner vision. In spite of the fact that they have never been taught the fundamentals of art, folk artists know them instinctively. Color, design, rhythm and balance are the essence of any piece of folk art. Simple, strong shapes may be all it takes for one artist to make his statement. Another might fill a canvas with careful design and minute attention to detail. In either case the result is always a naive, almost child-like vision, characteristically pure in style. A significant amount of the folk art featured has been created by artists who come from impoverished areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. Though many lack money, education and the comforts that we take for granted, they can always find time and money to buy or find the supplies they need to make art. While we tend to see art as decoration, they see art as a means of releasing the song trapped in their spirits. A painting isn't just a painting; it is a word or a story coming from the heart and soul of the artist. The images they create are a cultural response to the demands of poverty, often allowing the artist a means to cope. Their need to create results in a transformation from the ordinary to the extraordinary with the power to bridge the gap from their culture to our own.   10046 Conway Road I St. Louis, Missouri 63124 I 314.993.9851/ 314.409.6057 *by appointment I GBonheur@aol.com © GALERIE BONHEUR 2002 - 2010