Chaz Guest (born May 2, 1961, in Niagara Falls, NY) is a self‑taught American painter and sculptor whose work explores Black identity, cultural legacy, and historical narrative through a vivid fusion of sumi ink, oil, and unconventional materials. He is the seventh of nine siblings and grew up in Philadelphia, where he pursued gymnastics and studied graphic design at Southern Connecticut State University on a scholarship—later continuing at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating in 1985, Guest moved to New York and then Paris in 1986, working as a fashion illustrator for Joyce magazine. It was there designer Christian Lacroix encouraged him to paint, leading to his transformation into a full‑time fine artist. Guest’s practice prioritizes emotional authenticity and cultural reclamation—his subjects exude quiet dignity and collective memory, infused with a celebratory, soulful vibrancy. His textured, moody, and poetic tableaux bridge improvisational energy (drawing from jazz) with social purpose, aiming to “battle misrepresentation” and memorialize ancestors with respect.