The artist Jean-Marie Haessle was born in Alsace in Eastern France. It is a region that was contested between France and Germany for centuries. From his early childhood Haessle remembers the American bomber planes flying over the home of his parents. Nothing indicated that Haessle should become an artist. Except for a grand-uncle who had painted frescoes in a church, nobody in his family had any connections to art. When Haessle was fourteen years old, he started to work in a coal mine. It was a devastating experience for him. And when he was seventeen years old, he became very sick. Haessle then realized that he had to change his life. Nevertheless after his reconvalescence he returned to the mine until he was called to military service. He spent two and a half years in the French army. During his service Haessle saw his first art museum. It was in Munich where he saw van Goghs painting Sunflowers against a blue background. Haessle was mesmerized and decided to become a painter. After Haessle's military service was finished, he went to Paris in 1964. There he met an American girl and together they went to New York in 1967. When Haessle arrived in New York, he could not speak English and his starting capital were US$200. Not the best conditions to start a career as an artist. In the beginning, Haessle felt like an outsider. But by and by he made his way. He first joined an artist community at Westbeth and even had a small show there. He met Carl Andre and Hans Haacke. In the seventies, Haessle gained recognition. He had important group and individual art expositions in New York, Washington, Mexico and Taipei. In the eighties and nineties, his fame became international. Haessle's paintings are shown in Europe, mainly in his homeland France, but also in Switzerland and Greece.