May Henriquez

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May Henriquez
Wall painting of May Henriquez by Avantia Damberg [nl]
Born
May Alvarez Correa

(1915-05-06)6 May 1915
Willemstad, Curaçao
Died15 October 1999(1999-10-15) (aged 84)
Willemstad, Curaçao
NationalityDutch
Occupation(s)Writer and sculptress
Notable workAmi, Dokter? Lubidá! (1953)
Yaya ta konta (1981)

May Henriquez (6 May 1915 – 15 October 1999) was a Curaçaoan writer and sculptress. Henriquez wrote and translated works in Papiamentu, the Portuguese-based creole language spoken in Curaçao. She was recognised for her work for the Curaçaoan art community.

Biography

Henriquez was born May Alvarez Correa on 6 May 1915 in

Royal Dutch Shell in Venezuela, and they moved to Lagunillas, Venezuela.[1]

During World War II, her husband started to work for Maduro & Curiel's Bank, they returned to Curaçao and took up residence near Landhuis Bloemhof. In 1947, they moved to Caracas for business,[1] where Henriquez enrolled in a sculpturing course with Ernest Maragall. Between 1949 and 1953, she would spend several months a year in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where she was taught by Ossip Zadkine.[2]

A sculpture by May Henriquez

Henriquez set up a studio in the carriage house of Landhuis Bloemhof.[3] She started to take interest in the Curaçao cultural scene, and in 1950 was co-founder of the Scientific Library which is nowadays part of the University of Curaçao, and became chairperson of the Cultural Advisory Commission of Curaçao. Her estate developed into a meeting place for the art scene attracting artists like Cola Debrot, Corneille and Peter Struycken.[1]

In 1953, Henriquez started translating plays in Papiamentu. The play Ami, Dokter? Lubidá!, a translation of Le Médecin malgré lui by Molière, was successful. This encouraged Henriquez to start translating and adapting more works into Papiamentu.[4] Henriquez was considered a talented sculptor.[5] and remained active until the mid 1970s when she started to focus on writing.[3]

In 1981, Henriquez published Yaya ta konta, a collection of original stories[1] based on the oral traditions of Curaçao.[6] In 1988, she published Ta asina o ta asana?, a study on the influence of the Sephardi Jews on the development of Papiamentu for which she was awarded the Pierre Lauffer Prize.[7]

In 1982, Henriquez started to work for Maduro & Curiel's Bank, and became the chair of the supervisory board of the bank in 1996. In 1985, she became Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.[1] Henriquez died on 15 October 1999.[2]

Legacy

After her death, Landhuis Bloemhof, the estate where she lived, was turned into a museum and art gallery in her honour. Henriquez had acquired an extensive art collection and library during her lifetime.[5] In 2017, Henriquez became the 12th Outstanding Woman of Curaçao for her work promoting Papiamentu.[8] In the same year, she was also honoured with a postage stamp.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wim Rutgers. "Alvarez Correa, May (1915-1999)". Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "May Henriquez-Alvarez Correa". Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Studio May". Bloemhof. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  4. ^ "May Henriquez". Theater Encyclopedia (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Landhuis Bloemhof". Beautiful Curaçao. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  6. ISBN 9990492107
    .
  7. ^ "Pierre Lauffer Prijs voor veelzijdige May Henriquez". Amigoe via Delpher (in Dutch). 28 August 1989. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  8. ^ "May Henriquez is the 12th Outstanding Woman". Curaçao Chronicle. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Writers of Curacao – Set". CPost International. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
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