Pioneering Caymanian artist Bendel Hydes has passed at age 72.
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, home for several of his pieces, announced his passing in a Facebook post Tuesday evening, saying Hydes was “universally celebrated as the founding father of Caymanian visual art”.
“Critically, Bendel’s artistic journey laid the foundation for the development of the Caymanian professional art sector and the thriving cultural climate we now enjoy,” the gallery said. “When we consider the Cayman Islands of the 1950s, his journey is all the more remarkable.”
The works of Hydes range from his early focus on traditional Caymanian homes to his more surreal explorations. His artistic work, alongside his support of the arts, helped pave the way for Caymanian creatives.
Hydes was born in 1952 in West Bay, a place that later inspired his art.
He travelled the world while pursuing his artistic career, drawing particular inspiration from New York City and modern art movements like Abstract Expressionism. But many of his works centred around his Cayman Islands home, where he helped pave the way for founding the National Gallery, as well as the Inn Theatre and the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.
Hydes is particularly noted for his “career-defining series ‘Circumnavigating the Globe’ (2008 to 2010)”, the gallery said.
His passing comes shortly after Cayman Art Week, which has grown to be an enthusiastic celebration of local artists, many of whom he inspired.
Among his many accolades was the naming of the gallery’s Cayman Islands Biennial Award in his honour in 2019.
“Today, we lost an artist of extraordinary skill, but his endless spirit of discovery and deep ties to home form the basis of a remarkable legacy that will continue to serve as inspiration to us all for many years to come,” the gallery said.
The Cayman National Cultural Foundation joined in celebrating Hydes’ indelible impact and mourning his loss, stating in a Facebook post, “He serves as a source of inspiration to many Caymanian artists that have since followed in his footsteps, and the legacy he leaves behind cannot be overstated.”
