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Our guests are Priscilla and Floyd LeBleu, Lafayette residents and owners of the world’s largest collection of artwork by the renowned Edna Hibel. Priscilla and Floyd are looking for a permanent home to publicly display their beloved Hibel collection, hopefully in Lafayette LA.
Edna Hibel, an American artist, was revered for her paintings of people expressing emotion or contemplation, which were painted on ceramic, canvas, or etched on Bavarian limestone. She created over 6000 works during her lifetime, including 600 different lithographs. Born as a native of Massachusetts in 1917, she had a fulfilling career promoting peace through her exhibitions and artwork all around the world. Using her artistry, Hibel was able to raise money for charity across the globe. She passed away in her home at the age of 97 in December 2014, right before her 98th birthday.
Her work was inspired by Mary Cassatt and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and sought by royalty, collected by museums, commissioned by the United Nations and National Archives, and awarded the Medal of Honor and Citation by Pope John Paul II.
The World Cultural Council presented the 2001 Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts to Edna Hibel, who is often referred to as the USA’s most versatile artist, as well as its best colorist. The Award acknowledges those who endeavour to create different expressions of art and whose work constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of the world.
Priscilla and Floyd became close friends with Ms. Hibel, after Priscilla won a trip to the Edna Hibel Museum of Art in Florida in 1992. She was accompanied by Floyd, who went along just expecting to hang out on the beach. While Floyd had never been a person that was bent to studying art, he immediately became enamored with Ms. Hibel and her captivating art, especially “Russian Mother and Two Children,” an oil painting Ms. Hibel had painted in 1990. Floyd bought the piece, his first of some 500 Hibels, and was hooked thereafter. Floyd says, “It was almost like a religious experience when you met her. She captured me….the artist herself and her art. She captured people’s dignity.”
The LeBleu family befriended Ms. Hibel and would visit her in Florida and she would travel to Lafayette to see them. Hibel enjoyed Lafayette and attended a benefit for the Acadiana Center for the Arts, and Floyd recalled her saying, “There is just a feeling of comraderie in Lafayette. I think this is my favorite place.”
While traveling on a Hibel Society cruise with Priscilla, Floyd asked Ms. Hibel why she never painted men. She replied, women wear pretty hats and dresses that give them a lot of color and flair and make them more interesting subjects.” As a joke, Floyd dressed up in a straw hat and toga as he headed to a demonstration Hibel was giving. She laughed and told Floyd he would be the subject of her demonstration that day and she turned him into an Arabian prince in a painting aptly called, “Floyd in a Turban.”
The LeBleus became owners of a great deal of her works which had previously been displayed at the Hibel Museum of Art on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, Florida. “
Floyd and Priscilla LeBleu own the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville and have 127 pieces of Edna Hibel art displayed throughout for visitors to enjoy. They call it their “Hibel addiction” when describing their huge collection
Lafayette is now home to the world’s largest collection of Edna Hibel’s artwork, some of which is on exhibit at Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Building at 705 W. University Avenue for the remainder of 2024.
Pictured above are Priscilla and Floyd LeBleu, in current times, and the original pose that Edna Hibel utilized to depict the LeBleu family in her own special way.
Priscilla and Floyd are reaching out to our community, public officials, and art lovers in the quest to find a permanent home for Hibel’s works so that everyone may have the chance to view her art. The Lafayette Art Association has volunteered to manage the collection once a site is selected. The LeBleu will donate the Hibel pieces at no charge, which are valued in the millions of dollars.
Hibel, The Life and Art of Edna Hibel explains the beautiful journey of this beloved artist as she grew in her talent, and shares photos of her works. It also documents the many people who followed her career, including Priscilla and Floyd LeBleu. This book is available for purchase locally at Lafayette Art Association, Auburn Avenue (behind Abacus), Lafayette, LA, 70503. (The cover photo of the book is Kristina and Child, oil, circa 1970.
For more information on Edna Hibel, visit https://ednahibelstudio.com/
Floyd and Priscilla have lived in Lafayette their entire adult lives, except for a brief stint in Baton Rouge when Floyd was in law school. Floyd was an assistant coach at Lafayette High and Priscilla was a speech therapist. Married for 59 years, they love Lafayette. “There is no better place than Lafayette LA to live!”
To contact Priscilla and Floyd LeBleu if you would like more information on their efforts to locate a permanent location for Edna Hibel’s works of art, email priscillalebleu@gmail.com.
