April 8, 2008
A long article in the Miami Herald's business section on April 7th, 2008 is headlined "Art Enters Its Black Period." Writer Brett Sokol discusses the shifts in the market for high-end American art and cites the example of commercial mortgage broker Lang Baumgarten trying to cash in on the current boom preceding a predictable bust. This Miamian is putting a portrait of fashion designer Zac Posen by artist Alex Katz up for bid at Christie's auction house for between $200,000 and $300,000. He bought the painting for $90,000 four years ago and feels it is time to cash in before prices plunge as the U.S. copes with a period of unfortunate economic recession.
Art as investment is always a tricky business. As in any collectible field, it is wisest to buy what you love, thus shielding the monetary investment you have made by the adoration you have for the object, regardless of market conditions. Prices usually do come back and occasionally increase over time.
Nowhere is this truer than with Haitian art. Prices for old master painters continue to increase at a value higher than the average stock because once someone like Andre Pierre dies, there is a finite number of works available forever forward into time. It is absolutely essential that a collector deals with a reputable dealer capable of providing a provenace for a work of art. Speculators who buy what they think is an Andre Pierre painting, because the thrift store owner downtown told them so, are in for trouble as fakes of Pierre and other masters enter the market.
**********************
The recent death of artist Frantz Zephirin, Jr. is an example of a promising young light of the new generation not able to reach his full potential. He could have reached the heights of his well-known father Frantz Zephirin. The younger artist's fanciful imagery and respect for Haitian history could have carried him into museums, catalogs and books on Haitian art. But Zephirin, Jr., who made paintings of revolutionary heroes on horseback, swimming mermaids, and Vodou queens in mid-ceremony, succumbed to an unknown disease while either eighteen or nineteen years old. One person who believed in his talent was Haitian gallery dealer Axelle Liautaud, who oversaw and funded the thin and sickly artist's stay in a Port-au-Prince hospital. She championed his genius and sold the handfuls of paintings he produced in a few short years.
-- Candice Russell
-30-
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Too Many People Are Selling Bad Haitian Art.
February 5, 2008
What the new year bodes for Haitian art is anyone's guess. But from the expert opinion of two people in Haiti, both of them in the art business, the outlook isn't good. To protect their identities, I won't reveal their names because their communication was personal.
Each person bemoaned to me the abundance of fakes in the marketplace. Even more sad is the knowing collaboration of U.S. dealers in this deception, which dilutes the value of the originals. Tiga, the renowned painter, died a little more than a year ago and is already being copied in Haiti and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Another problem is the absence of a strong tourist base going to Haiti with the purpose of buying art. A new generation of collectors needs to start travelling to the island to buoy up the market. But the persistence of political instability and kidnappings scare off even the most intrepid travellers, myself included.
Too many people are selling bad Haitian art, as seen commonly in neighboring Dominican Republic and as sold on Ebay, unfortunately. Haitians don't support their own artistic output is another complaint voiced by my insider. As a result of all these things, the prices for Haitian art has gone down. A Hector Hyppolite which used to sell for $40,000 now goes for $25,000. One respected dealer said he actually lost money for participating in the International Caribbean Art Fair held in New York City in November.
While painting is experiencing a low point in Haiti, sculptors and Vodou flag makers are on a wonderful high, creating works of surpassing creativity according to one Haitian art dealer. There are still buyers for Haitian art in Haiti, largely from the well-paid expatriate community looking for souvenirs to take back home after their service in Haiti.
Just as in the floundering real estate market in the U.S., there are bargains to be had in Haitian art. So in spite of all this negative reportage, the long-term outlook for Haitian art remains positive, if not radiant. Discoveries will be made of new and original artists doing things never seen before in Haitian art. Savvy collectors will start spending now in anticipation that their wise choices in art will increase in value eventually. The worth of the art is less monetary than intrinsic within its aesthetic parameters and the reputations of the artists. If an Andre Pierre painting is under-valued now, think what a work by the foremost artist painting the loa of the Vodou pantheon might be worth in 2018 or beyond?
The time to buy for sharp-eyed collectors on a budget is now. My advice is to buy in multiples and negotiate a lower price with a reputable dealer. Consider the source before making a purchase, so as to authenticate the originality of your artwork. Haitian art is indisputably the best art in the world and if the world's a little slow in recognizing this fact, you stand to be on the cutting edge of a future trend. Buy now and enjoy Haitian art.
--Candice Russell
What the new year bodes for Haitian art is anyone's guess. But from the expert opinion of two people in Haiti, both of them in the art business, the outlook isn't good. To protect their identities, I won't reveal their names because their communication was personal.
Each person bemoaned to me the abundance of fakes in the marketplace. Even more sad is the knowing collaboration of U.S. dealers in this deception, which dilutes the value of the originals. Tiga, the renowned painter, died a little more than a year ago and is already being copied in Haiti and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Another problem is the absence of a strong tourist base going to Haiti with the purpose of buying art. A new generation of collectors needs to start travelling to the island to buoy up the market. But the persistence of political instability and kidnappings scare off even the most intrepid travellers, myself included.
Too many people are selling bad Haitian art, as seen commonly in neighboring Dominican Republic and as sold on Ebay, unfortunately. Haitians don't support their own artistic output is another complaint voiced by my insider. As a result of all these things, the prices for Haitian art has gone down. A Hector Hyppolite which used to sell for $40,000 now goes for $25,000. One respected dealer said he actually lost money for participating in the International Caribbean Art Fair held in New York City in November.
While painting is experiencing a low point in Haiti, sculptors and Vodou flag makers are on a wonderful high, creating works of surpassing creativity according to one Haitian art dealer. There are still buyers for Haitian art in Haiti, largely from the well-paid expatriate community looking for souvenirs to take back home after their service in Haiti.
Just as in the floundering real estate market in the U.S., there are bargains to be had in Haitian art. So in spite of all this negative reportage, the long-term outlook for Haitian art remains positive, if not radiant. Discoveries will be made of new and original artists doing things never seen before in Haitian art. Savvy collectors will start spending now in anticipation that their wise choices in art will increase in value eventually. The worth of the art is less monetary than intrinsic within its aesthetic parameters and the reputations of the artists. If an Andre Pierre painting is under-valued now, think what a work by the foremost artist painting the loa of the Vodou pantheon might be worth in 2018 or beyond?
The time to buy for sharp-eyed collectors on a budget is now. My advice is to buy in multiples and negotiate a lower price with a reputable dealer. Consider the source before making a purchase, so as to authenticate the originality of your artwork. Haitian art is indisputably the best art in the world and if the world's a little slow in recognizing this fact, you stand to be on the cutting edge of a future trend. Buy now and enjoy Haitian art.
--Candice Russell
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Don't Miss Out on My Annual Haitian Art Sale!
December 16, 2007
Today begins the last weekend of the 2007 Holiday Haitian Art Sale at my home in Plantation, Florida. Those unable to attend can request a free photo packet of items customized to your taste. Those coming will enjoy seeing items not seen in previous weekends because Mr. Lange Rosner in Haiti, my friend and buyer, just sent me a shipment of terrific artwork -- small paintings perfect for gift-giving, whimsical painted metal sculptures spelling out the words "joy" and "Noel," wonderful unpainted metal sculptures including a small nine-inch circle of a tree with little birds in it by David Joseph, and exquisite Vodou flags, including a miniature treasure made exclusively from beads of a veve (design drawn on floor of Vodou temple prior to a ceremony) by Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph. There are other well-priced (low) Vodou flags including a cheerful "La Sirene," a "Carrefour" veve, and a fabulous head of a bull on green satin. The bull is a symbol of fortitude and determination, perfect for anyone trying to surmount obstacles in their life.
Speaking of Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, I met a new friend this week when Dominique Carvonis of Haiti and Pembroke Pines, Florida visited my home this week. She owns a dental practice in Port-au-Prince and goes back and forth to Haiti all the time. Carvonis brought over a tempting selection of Joseph Vodou flags, each more lovely than the last. After purchasing two for my personal collection, I took two small ones on consignment including a "Bossou" or bull, a very masculine-looking strong flag.
Besides being newly stocked for the show, the Children of Haiti Enhancement Foundation will benefit from weekend sales. Certain items each day will be put up for a silent auction, which is exciting. Good food, champagne, friends and fellowship besides surpassingly wonderful art -- what could be better? I hope you can join us.
--Candice Russell
Today begins the last weekend of the 2007 Holiday Haitian Art Sale at my home in Plantation, Florida. Those unable to attend can request a free photo packet of items customized to your taste. Those coming will enjoy seeing items not seen in previous weekends because Mr. Lange Rosner in Haiti, my friend and buyer, just sent me a shipment of terrific artwork -- small paintings perfect for gift-giving, whimsical painted metal sculptures spelling out the words "joy" and "Noel," wonderful unpainted metal sculptures including a small nine-inch circle of a tree with little birds in it by David Joseph, and exquisite Vodou flags, including a miniature treasure made exclusively from beads of a veve (design drawn on floor of Vodou temple prior to a ceremony) by Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph. There are other well-priced (low) Vodou flags including a cheerful "La Sirene," a "Carrefour" veve, and a fabulous head of a bull on green satin. The bull is a symbol of fortitude and determination, perfect for anyone trying to surmount obstacles in their life.
Speaking of Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, I met a new friend this week when Dominique Carvonis of Haiti and Pembroke Pines, Florida visited my home this week. She owns a dental practice in Port-au-Prince and goes back and forth to Haiti all the time. Carvonis brought over a tempting selection of Joseph Vodou flags, each more lovely than the last. After purchasing two for my personal collection, I took two small ones on consignment including a "Bossou" or bull, a very masculine-looking strong flag.
Besides being newly stocked for the show, the Children of Haiti Enhancement Foundation will benefit from weekend sales. Certain items each day will be put up for a silent auction, which is exciting. Good food, champagne, friends and fellowship besides surpassingly wonderful art -- what could be better? I hope you can join us.
--Candice Russell
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Hurry! Only 2 Week-ends Left.
December 6, 2007
The first two weekends of my annual in-home Haitian art sale have brought out loyal customers and friends who have collected the paintings of masters and unknowns with equal fervor. Thank you to all who have supported this wonderful aesthetic revolution over the years, including Dr. Donna Goldstein of Hollywood, Florida, a psychologist, global traveller, and specialist in cultural diversity issues. Also in attendance were documentary filmmaker Grace Barnes and Paula Harper, a University of Miami art professor and noted art critic. Each woman has superb taste in art and knows exactly what she wants to add to her personal collection.
George Bolge, director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Boca Raton, Florida, and his wife Marguerite purchased a cheerful painting of figures in kind of a Saint Soleil style by Lionel Elie, an artist I met several years ago outside the Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince. I bought the painting directly from Elie, who says he sells his work through the Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York City.
Laurie Vaughn, an abstract expressionist painter from Plantation, Florida, and her boyfriend Derrick Smith, a Miami architect, spent several hours with other guests, drinking Haiti's version of eggnog -- the delicious alcoholic Christmas brew called "cremas" -- and discussing the art scene. It's now the week of Art Basel Miami Beach, the largest U.S. art fair, and Vaughn is going to participate in an adjunct space in the design district and, we hope, sell out all of her paintings.
Friends Margareth and Reynolds Rolles, who have a number of superior paintings by Raoul Gilles for sale during the show, also came over. Through their auspices, a number of Haitian artists who live in the U.S. visited as well including Guy Floury, Ernst Louis-Jacques, and H. Versaint, who is the son of famed stone sculptor Georges Laratte found in many Haitian art books. Versaint brought a small folder of photos of his own work, highly reminiscent of his father, in marble and stone. These strong figurative works referenced such favorite themes of his as maternity.
Speaking to Mr. Lange Rosner in Haiti, my cherished friend who buys artwork for me and ships it via Federal Express, I learned this week that my favorite gallery to buy from for the purposes of re-sale closed in the Delmas district of Port-au-Prince. The wonderful Pierre-Pierre Gallery is gone! What a shock, considering it was the visitor to Haiti's mecca. Many are the times I can recall walking through the dusty piles of metal sculptures and wood figurines in the dusty upstairs space, accompanied by a very tall woman with a big smile who worked at the gallery. When I cringed away from a spider one time, she said spiders were good luck and laughed at my fright. Remarkable art of all kinds was found in the space, including Vodou flags and one of my favorite paintings by the late Saint Soleil master Dieuseul Paul, who forgot to sign it (friend Dr. Carlos Jara ran into the artist on the street months later, encouraged him to visit and got him to sign the canvas!).
Mr. Rosner is sending a package this week for arrival early next week, which is good news for visitors to the sale on December 15th and 16th, which is a benefit for the Children of Haiti Enhancement Foundation. I'll have many new things just purchased in Haiti, including gorgeous Vodou flags of ceremonial import and metal sculptures, both painted and unpainted.
This coming weekend, December 8th and 9th from 12 noon to 6 p.m. on both days, the focus is on sales and appraisals. Each day at 4 p.m. visitors are invited to bring artwork or a photo and we'll research in catalogs and my extensive library of Haitian art books what the value of the art is. This should be fun. It's certainly something different I've never done before, though I have privately appraised personal collections. Maybe I'll see you at the sale!
--Candice Russell
-the end-
The first two weekends of my annual in-home Haitian art sale have brought out loyal customers and friends who have collected the paintings of masters and unknowns with equal fervor. Thank you to all who have supported this wonderful aesthetic revolution over the years, including Dr. Donna Goldstein of Hollywood, Florida, a psychologist, global traveller, and specialist in cultural diversity issues. Also in attendance were documentary filmmaker Grace Barnes and Paula Harper, a University of Miami art professor and noted art critic. Each woman has superb taste in art and knows exactly what she wants to add to her personal collection.
George Bolge, director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Boca Raton, Florida, and his wife Marguerite purchased a cheerful painting of figures in kind of a Saint Soleil style by Lionel Elie, an artist I met several years ago outside the Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince. I bought the painting directly from Elie, who says he sells his work through the Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York City.
Laurie Vaughn, an abstract expressionist painter from Plantation, Florida, and her boyfriend Derrick Smith, a Miami architect, spent several hours with other guests, drinking Haiti's version of eggnog -- the delicious alcoholic Christmas brew called "cremas" -- and discussing the art scene. It's now the week of Art Basel Miami Beach, the largest U.S. art fair, and Vaughn is going to participate in an adjunct space in the design district and, we hope, sell out all of her paintings.
Friends Margareth and Reynolds Rolles, who have a number of superior paintings by Raoul Gilles for sale during the show, also came over. Through their auspices, a number of Haitian artists who live in the U.S. visited as well including Guy Floury, Ernst Louis-Jacques, and H. Versaint, who is the son of famed stone sculptor Georges Laratte found in many Haitian art books. Versaint brought a small folder of photos of his own work, highly reminiscent of his father, in marble and stone. These strong figurative works referenced such favorite themes of his as maternity.
Speaking to Mr. Lange Rosner in Haiti, my cherished friend who buys artwork for me and ships it via Federal Express, I learned this week that my favorite gallery to buy from for the purposes of re-sale closed in the Delmas district of Port-au-Prince. The wonderful Pierre-Pierre Gallery is gone! What a shock, considering it was the visitor to Haiti's mecca. Many are the times I can recall walking through the dusty piles of metal sculptures and wood figurines in the dusty upstairs space, accompanied by a very tall woman with a big smile who worked at the gallery. When I cringed away from a spider one time, she said spiders were good luck and laughed at my fright. Remarkable art of all kinds was found in the space, including Vodou flags and one of my favorite paintings by the late Saint Soleil master Dieuseul Paul, who forgot to sign it (friend Dr. Carlos Jara ran into the artist on the street months later, encouraged him to visit and got him to sign the canvas!).
Mr. Rosner is sending a package this week for arrival early next week, which is good news for visitors to the sale on December 15th and 16th, which is a benefit for the Children of Haiti Enhancement Foundation. I'll have many new things just purchased in Haiti, including gorgeous Vodou flags of ceremonial import and metal sculptures, both painted and unpainted.
This coming weekend, December 8th and 9th from 12 noon to 6 p.m. on both days, the focus is on sales and appraisals. Each day at 4 p.m. visitors are invited to bring artwork or a photo and we'll research in catalogs and my extensive library of Haitian art books what the value of the art is. This should be fun. It's certainly something different I've never done before, though I have privately appraised personal collections. Maybe I'll see you at the sale!
--Candice Russell
-the end-
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Only 3 Weeks Left in Annual Sale!!
November 30, 2007
Only 3 weeks remaining in Candice Russell's Annual Haitian Art Sale. Email Candice for information and directions: candice@haitianna.com . New arrivals from Haiti currently being displayed.
Only 3 weeks remaining in Candice Russell's Annual Haitian Art Sale. Email Candice for information and directions: candice@haitianna.com . New arrivals from Haiti currently being displayed.
Friday, November 23, 2007
My Annual In-Home Art Sale
November 23, 2007
This weekend begins my annual in-home sale of Haitian art, which extends for three additional weekends after that, ending on Sunday,December 16th. All days the show is on from 12 noon to 6 p.m. Anyone interested in Haitian art is invited, so please contact me for driving directions or to be mailed a postcard.
In the nineteenth year of sales like this in my west Broward County home in South Florida, I am trying to do things a bit differently this time. During the first weekend, prices on everything are discounted 15per cent. This is a direct appeal to bargain hunters and holiday gift shoppers with an eye for the unusual and unique. Original Haitian art appeals to collectors and casual buyers who might not know much about the subject. With prices ranging from $15 up to $10,000, the artworks include paintings, Vodou flags, wood sculptures, mixed media sculptures by the great Lionel Saint Eloi, metal sculptures to Tomas Petit (who does wonderful crosses like those found in the cemetery in Croix-des-Bouquets, and catalogs of museum exhibitions devoted to Haitian art, which cannot be found in bookstores or even the museums where the shows were held because they're out of print.
The second weekend of the show, December 1st and 2nd, I will lecture about Haitian art at 3 p.m. on both days, bringing out items from my personal collection, many of which haven't been exhibited before. I'll touch briefly upon Haitian history with an emphasis on the significance of Vodou as expressed visually by artists of surpassing genius.
The third weekend of the show, Saturday December 8th and Sunday December 9th, is the time to come to bring your Haitian art for an appraisal. If it's too big or cumbersome to load and carry in your car, bring a photo and we'll do on-the-spot research in catalogs and look up obscure names. Here's a chance for you to know what you have and what you treasure -- a masterpiece or a piece of minimal value?
The Children of Haiti Enhancement Foundation, a non-profit charity based in Miami under the leadership of Haitian-American Elsie Craig,is the focus of the fourth and final weekend of the sale on Saturday,December 15th and Sunday, December 16th. Special items not put out other weekends will be available for purchase at modest starting prices in a silent auction, with most or all of the proceeds going to this outstanding organization that supplies school children in Haiti with the tools they need in school to be successful, along with meals.Many of these children are in remote mountain villages, which Craig has visited. One place took her all day to reach on foot! Large photos of the children will be on display.
If you can't make this superior sale, please contact me for a free photo packet customized to your needs. Most of my artwork won't make it on the web site due to size limitations for shipping and other considerations. My friend, Mr. Lange Rosner in Haiti, is buying items for me as this is being written. Future shipments from Haiti will bring more wonderful artworks. What a way to celebrate the holiday season!
--Candice Russell
This weekend begins my annual in-home sale of Haitian art, which extends for three additional weekends after that, ending on Sunday,December 16th. All days the show is on from 12 noon to 6 p.m. Anyone interested in Haitian art is invited, so please contact me for driving directions or to be mailed a postcard.
In the nineteenth year of sales like this in my west Broward County home in South Florida, I am trying to do things a bit differently this time. During the first weekend, prices on everything are discounted 15per cent. This is a direct appeal to bargain hunters and holiday gift shoppers with an eye for the unusual and unique. Original Haitian art appeals to collectors and casual buyers who might not know much about the subject. With prices ranging from $15 up to $10,000, the artworks include paintings, Vodou flags, wood sculptures, mixed media sculptures by the great Lionel Saint Eloi, metal sculptures to Tomas Petit (who does wonderful crosses like those found in the cemetery in Croix-des-Bouquets, and catalogs of museum exhibitions devoted to Haitian art, which cannot be found in bookstores or even the museums where the shows were held because they're out of print.
The second weekend of the show, December 1st and 2nd, I will lecture about Haitian art at 3 p.m. on both days, bringing out items from my personal collection, many of which haven't been exhibited before. I'll touch briefly upon Haitian history with an emphasis on the significance of Vodou as expressed visually by artists of surpassing genius.
The third weekend of the show, Saturday December 8th and Sunday December 9th, is the time to come to bring your Haitian art for an appraisal. If it's too big or cumbersome to load and carry in your car, bring a photo and we'll do on-the-spot research in catalogs and look up obscure names. Here's a chance for you to know what you have and what you treasure -- a masterpiece or a piece of minimal value?
The Children of Haiti Enhancement Foundation, a non-profit charity based in Miami under the leadership of Haitian-American Elsie Craig,is the focus of the fourth and final weekend of the sale on Saturday,December 15th and Sunday, December 16th. Special items not put out other weekends will be available for purchase at modest starting prices in a silent auction, with most or all of the proceeds going to this outstanding organization that supplies school children in Haiti with the tools they need in school to be successful, along with meals.Many of these children are in remote mountain villages, which Craig has visited. One place took her all day to reach on foot! Large photos of the children will be on display.
If you can't make this superior sale, please contact me for a free photo packet customized to your needs. Most of my artwork won't make it on the web site due to size limitations for shipping and other considerations. My friend, Mr. Lange Rosner in Haiti, is buying items for me as this is being written. Future shipments from Haiti will bring more wonderful artworks. What a way to celebrate the holiday season!
--Candice Russell
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Unbelievable Bargains on Haitian Art
November 20, 2007
Unbelievable bargains on Haitian art were part of the early November event in Georgia largely devoted to the personal collection of American filmmaker Jonathan Demme. He put up for bid a number of precious holdings at the Slotin Folk Art Auction in Buford, Georgia on November 10th, with the result that those in the bidding hall or bidding by telephone had an opportunity to pick up some very fine artworks by Haitian masters for less than their going value on multiple web sites.
Case in point: the magnificent color cover of the catalog is Pauleus Vital's exceptional painting "Judgement Day," measuring 26 inches by31 inches. It went for a laughably low $8,000 -- its low estimate.Wilson Bigaud's "Marriage at Cana" (#336 in the catalog), measuring 41inches by 32 inches, sold for an amazingly modest $1,400. Wonderful sculptures in metal by the inventor of the medium, Georges Liautaud,ranged from $600 to $2,000 -- again way off the mark at galleries and web sites.
If you were a collector, you won out. Gustavo Ponzoa of Miramar,Florida was our man on the scene. He was amazed at what he calls the"disproportionate" prices between items of the same size and quality by the same artist -- some going for under the value, some others going for much more than the value. All of the Haitian pieces, in his opinion, were "absolutely under-bid." For the scandalously good price of $300, Ponzoa walked away with a 24-inch by 24-inch painting called"Multiple Village Figures" (#586 in the catalog) for just $300. He also got the painting "Wolf and Sheep" (#748 in the catalog) for a mere $200. "It was like a surprise box -- you never knew what you were getting," says Ponzoa in his description of the prices pieces brought.
Even so, he liked the experience. "It was a lot of fun and went very quickly," says Ponzoa, who also won on his bids for a small folk art"Lion" painting by American artist Malcah Zeldis for a bargain $125.
But how can one explain a Gerard "Nativity" painting going for $250?This makes no sense. Selden Rodman, the late author and expert on Haitian art, must be turning over in his grave, since he so championed Gerard as one of the great naive painters. Which he still is! I don't know if Peters Stephane is any relation to Micius Stephane, but this artist's "Mother and Kids" painting, measuring ten inches by twelve inches, went for a criminal $25 -- that's right, $25! The estimate for this superb little work was between $800 to $1,200.
Also inexplicable were the prices brought by Vodou items, including flags by unnamed artists ranging from "Rice" for $250 to $2,000 for"Two Blue Snakes." Doll shrines by the lauded Pierrot Barra, some more aesthetically pleasing than others, ranged from $275 to $600 -- again under-priced, especially if you asked Donald Cosentino, the University of California at Los Angeles professor who wrote a book about works by Barra and his wife Marie Cassise.
What to make of this auction and these prices? It's only a true bellwether of the market if a large number of Haitian art collectors and museum curators were aware of the auction and participating in it.Ponzoa reports there were only a few in the hall with him during the auction.
--Candice Russell
Unbelievable bargains on Haitian art were part of the early November event in Georgia largely devoted to the personal collection of American filmmaker Jonathan Demme. He put up for bid a number of precious holdings at the Slotin Folk Art Auction in Buford, Georgia on November 10th, with the result that those in the bidding hall or bidding by telephone had an opportunity to pick up some very fine artworks by Haitian masters for less than their going value on multiple web sites.
Case in point: the magnificent color cover of the catalog is Pauleus Vital's exceptional painting "Judgement Day," measuring 26 inches by31 inches. It went for a laughably low $8,000 -- its low estimate.Wilson Bigaud's "Marriage at Cana" (#336 in the catalog), measuring 41inches by 32 inches, sold for an amazingly modest $1,400. Wonderful sculptures in metal by the inventor of the medium, Georges Liautaud,ranged from $600 to $2,000 -- again way off the mark at galleries and web sites.
If you were a collector, you won out. Gustavo Ponzoa of Miramar,Florida was our man on the scene. He was amazed at what he calls the"disproportionate" prices between items of the same size and quality by the same artist -- some going for under the value, some others going for much more than the value. All of the Haitian pieces, in his opinion, were "absolutely under-bid." For the scandalously good price of $300, Ponzoa walked away with a 24-inch by 24-inch painting called"Multiple Village Figures" (#586 in the catalog) for just $300. He also got the painting "Wolf and Sheep" (#748 in the catalog) for a mere $200. "It was like a surprise box -- you never knew what you were getting," says Ponzoa in his description of the prices pieces brought.
Even so, he liked the experience. "It was a lot of fun and went very quickly," says Ponzoa, who also won on his bids for a small folk art"Lion" painting by American artist Malcah Zeldis for a bargain $125.
But how can one explain a Gerard "Nativity" painting going for $250?This makes no sense. Selden Rodman, the late author and expert on Haitian art, must be turning over in his grave, since he so championed Gerard as one of the great naive painters. Which he still is! I don't know if Peters Stephane is any relation to Micius Stephane, but this artist's "Mother and Kids" painting, measuring ten inches by twelve inches, went for a criminal $25 -- that's right, $25! The estimate for this superb little work was between $800 to $1,200.
Also inexplicable were the prices brought by Vodou items, including flags by unnamed artists ranging from "Rice" for $250 to $2,000 for"Two Blue Snakes." Doll shrines by the lauded Pierrot Barra, some more aesthetically pleasing than others, ranged from $275 to $600 -- again under-priced, especially if you asked Donald Cosentino, the University of California at Los Angeles professor who wrote a book about works by Barra and his wife Marie Cassise.
What to make of this auction and these prices? It's only a true bellwether of the market if a large number of Haitian art collectors and museum curators were aware of the auction and participating in it.Ponzoa reports there were only a few in the hall with him during the auction.
--Candice Russell
Friday, November 09, 2007
Major Haitian Art Event
November 8, 2007
A major Haitian art event is taking place on Saturday, November 10that Historic Buford Hall in Buford, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. The Slotin Folk Art Auction for that particular day is heavily laden with items in American folk art and Haitian masterpieces from the personal collection of filmmaker and Haitian human rights defender Jonathan Demme. On the cover of the full-color catalog is a stellar painting featured in the show co-curated by myself and Axelle Liautaud in 2006at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Florida -- "Judgement Day"(1983) by Pauleus Vital. This incredible work features zombies bursting out of multi-colored coffins in a cemetery and making their way up twin staircases with very different ends, as one group appears to march toward heaven and the others to hell It is estimated to bring in between $8,000 to $12,000.
But as with all items at Slotin Folk Art Auctions, there is no reserve. So if a bidder gets lucky, he or she may walk away with a highly valued artwork for less than the estimate. Also featured in the auction are two lovely Wilson Bigaud paintings including "Lady in the Rose Garden" (1981), estimated at between $1,000 and $2,000 and"Marriage at Cana" (c. 1981), with an estimate of $2,000 to $4,000.Both prices seem low.
A very unusual "Papa Zaka" painting by the underrated Bourmond Byron, a painting called "Twa Zonbi" by Abel Michel inspired by the original painting by Hector Hyppolite of zombies being led from a cemetery, a charming Alexandre Gregoire "In the Garden" and "Nativity" by Gerard make this auction one to watch, if only to gauge the strength of the market in Haitian art. Of course, it all depends on how many Haitian art lovers know about the auction and decide to participate as bidders, either in person or by telephone.
Demme put up some rarities on the auction block, too, including"Monument" (c. 1963) by Florence Martinez and the exceptionally beautiful "Dambala Wedo" in the old-school palette by Andre Pierre.Under-priced works in iron and metal by the pioneer who started this genre of sculptures, Georges Liautaud, and his successor Serge Jolimeau are also up for bid. From crosses both embellished and plain,figurative pieces like mermaids and a creature dubbed "Metamorphosis,"and paintings by Etienne Chavannes, one of Demme's favorite artists,this auction is worth checking out, even after the fact to see what prices actually materialized once the hammer came down.
Other notable paintings by Jerome Polycarpe, Gerard Paul, Roi David Annissey, Ulrick Jean, G. Leveque, and Fernand Pierre are included inthe offerings. Lesser known artists are included in Demme's collectionas well. He has a remarkable eye that applies to Vodou flags, with tasty representations of "Mermaid," "Kok Lavalas," and "Tambou Verite." Mixed media sculptures by Pierrot Barra using doll heads are part of this eclectic mix. The auction should be fun and the results worth careful contemplation.
-- Candice Russell
A major Haitian art event is taking place on Saturday, November 10that Historic Buford Hall in Buford, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. The Slotin Folk Art Auction for that particular day is heavily laden with items in American folk art and Haitian masterpieces from the personal collection of filmmaker and Haitian human rights defender Jonathan Demme. On the cover of the full-color catalog is a stellar painting featured in the show co-curated by myself and Axelle Liautaud in 2006at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Florida -- "Judgement Day"(1983) by Pauleus Vital. This incredible work features zombies bursting out of multi-colored coffins in a cemetery and making their way up twin staircases with very different ends, as one group appears to march toward heaven and the others to hell It is estimated to bring in between $8,000 to $12,000.
But as with all items at Slotin Folk Art Auctions, there is no reserve. So if a bidder gets lucky, he or she may walk away with a highly valued artwork for less than the estimate. Also featured in the auction are two lovely Wilson Bigaud paintings including "Lady in the Rose Garden" (1981), estimated at between $1,000 and $2,000 and"Marriage at Cana" (c. 1981), with an estimate of $2,000 to $4,000.Both prices seem low.
A very unusual "Papa Zaka" painting by the underrated Bourmond Byron, a painting called "Twa Zonbi" by Abel Michel inspired by the original painting by Hector Hyppolite of zombies being led from a cemetery, a charming Alexandre Gregoire "In the Garden" and "Nativity" by Gerard make this auction one to watch, if only to gauge the strength of the market in Haitian art. Of course, it all depends on how many Haitian art lovers know about the auction and decide to participate as bidders, either in person or by telephone.
Demme put up some rarities on the auction block, too, including"Monument" (c. 1963) by Florence Martinez and the exceptionally beautiful "Dambala Wedo" in the old-school palette by Andre Pierre.Under-priced works in iron and metal by the pioneer who started this genre of sculptures, Georges Liautaud, and his successor Serge Jolimeau are also up for bid. From crosses both embellished and plain,figurative pieces like mermaids and a creature dubbed "Metamorphosis,"and paintings by Etienne Chavannes, one of Demme's favorite artists,this auction is worth checking out, even after the fact to see what prices actually materialized once the hammer came down.
Other notable paintings by Jerome Polycarpe, Gerard Paul, Roi David Annissey, Ulrick Jean, G. Leveque, and Fernand Pierre are included inthe offerings. Lesser known artists are included in Demme's collectionas well. He has a remarkable eye that applies to Vodou flags, with tasty representations of "Mermaid," "Kok Lavalas," and "Tambou Verite." Mixed media sculptures by Pierrot Barra using doll heads are part of this eclectic mix. The auction should be fun and the results worth careful contemplation.
-- Candice Russell
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
International Caribbean Art Fair - New York City
October 29, 2007
For people in the New York City area or visiting there this week, it might be worthwhile to visit the International Caribbean Art Fair held from November 1st to 4th at the Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street in New York City. Forty artists and/or gallery owners from all over the Caribbean will be represented at the art fair, including people from Aruba, Jamaica and Cuba. But of course we're most interested in the art from Haiti, with at least two galleries coming directly from the island's capital of Port-au-Prince -- Galerie Marassa and Galerie Bourbon-Lally, owned by Christiane and Reynald Lally, who have superb taste as well as a button on the most cutting-edge, contemporary art.
With a lecture and workshop component at the art fair, the event promises to educate its visitors, whether they're collectors, browsers, academics or museum curators. As of Monday afternoon, announcement of details about lectures and workshops hadn't been announced. Guided art tours are offered daily for $25, a price that includes show admission.
This event is sponsored by the Haitian Art Education and Appraisal Society, a non-profit, professional organization that exists to establish appraisal standards for Haitian artists and to advance the arts through education, archiving, advocacy and scholarship. To learn more about the art fair, telephone the toll free number 1-877-319-6478 or 301/637-4934 or 301/651-6919. If you attend the event and want to let me know how it was, please email me at: candice@haitianna.com.
--Candice Russell
For people in the New York City area or visiting there this week, it might be worthwhile to visit the International Caribbean Art Fair held from November 1st to 4th at the Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street in New York City. Forty artists and/or gallery owners from all over the Caribbean will be represented at the art fair, including people from Aruba, Jamaica and Cuba. But of course we're most interested in the art from Haiti, with at least two galleries coming directly from the island's capital of Port-au-Prince -- Galerie Marassa and Galerie Bourbon-Lally, owned by Christiane and Reynald Lally, who have superb taste as well as a button on the most cutting-edge, contemporary art.
With a lecture and workshop component at the art fair, the event promises to educate its visitors, whether they're collectors, browsers, academics or museum curators. As of Monday afternoon, announcement of details about lectures and workshops hadn't been announced. Guided art tours are offered daily for $25, a price that includes show admission.
This event is sponsored by the Haitian Art Education and Appraisal Society, a non-profit, professional organization that exists to establish appraisal standards for Haitian artists and to advance the arts through education, archiving, advocacy and scholarship. To learn more about the art fair, telephone the toll free number 1-877-319-6478 or 301/637-4934 or 301/651-6919. If you attend the event and want to let me know how it was, please email me at: candice@haitianna.com.
--Candice Russell
Friday, October 19, 2007
A New Newsletter
October 19, 2007
It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the birth of a new publication of interest to Haitian art collectors, museum curators and scholars: a quarterly newsletter titled "Haitian Art Views." The publishers are Reynolds Rolles, a veteran collector, photographer, and graphic designer, and Emile Viard, an author and Haitian art dealer -- both hail from Haiti. I am the editor.
Printed on heavy stock paper in full color for the photos, the first issue includes a "Tribute to Tiga" (1935 - 2006), the innovative artist and teacher who spearheaded the start of the Saint Soleil movement of Haitian avant-garde art. It was his careful tutelage that led Prospere Pierre Louis, Levoy Exil, Denis Smith, Dieuseul Paul and Louisiane Saint Fleurant to work in the same meticulous style of small dabs or dots of paint and philosophical reverence for the cosmos, women, and peace. Each artist developed his or her own particular way of painting and typical symbolism. Tiga's own technique of working called "soleil brulee" or "burnt sun" involved a mixture of inks, acrylic and acids lending his canvases a raw, primal feeling.
An interview with Carole Cleaver, the widow of author Selden Rodman, is also found in the "Collector's Corner" of "Haitian Art Views." She talks about the first piece of Haitian art she bought, when and why she began collecting, and her adventures along the way. She is the co-author with her late husband of the book "Spirits of the Night: The Vaudun Gods of Haiti" in addition to numerous newspaper and magazine articles about Haiti. A key portion of the interview is devoted to what she plans to do with her massive collection. Others can take their cues from her experience.
This season's "Artist Interview" is with Arijac, a contemporary painter known for his portraits and landscapes. Now a resident of North Miami, Florida, the artist reflects on his output, sources of inspiration, method of working, and hoped-for legacy.
A section for classified ads will allow collectors and others to communicate their wish to buy, sell or trade Haitian art and related items. Rolles, Viard and myself are hopeful that "Haitian Art Views" will prompt letter-writing on the part of readers who agree with or object to the opinions stated in the pages of our newsletter. We hope it will serve as a place for intelligent dialogue and debate among well-informed people. We are also open to suggestion in terms of what our readers want to see in future issues. It's an exciting time for us and we hope other people agree, so please pass on the information about "Haitian Art Views" to interested parties.
The first issue is out and available for free to anyone who asks, so please email me at both LuLuchat@aol.com and copy the email to LuLugatos@gmail.com. Yearly subscriptions, beginning with the January, 2008 issue, are $20.
Our first-ever full-color wall calendar is soon coming off the presses. It features people and places in Haiti from a variety of photographers including Rolles and myself. The price is $20. Please email me for more information.
-the end-
It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the birth of a new publication of interest to Haitian art collectors, museum curators and scholars: a quarterly newsletter titled "Haitian Art Views." The publishers are Reynolds Rolles, a veteran collector, photographer, and graphic designer, and Emile Viard, an author and Haitian art dealer -- both hail from Haiti. I am the editor.
Printed on heavy stock paper in full color for the photos, the first issue includes a "Tribute to Tiga" (1935 - 2006), the innovative artist and teacher who spearheaded the start of the Saint Soleil movement of Haitian avant-garde art. It was his careful tutelage that led Prospere Pierre Louis, Levoy Exil, Denis Smith, Dieuseul Paul and Louisiane Saint Fleurant to work in the same meticulous style of small dabs or dots of paint and philosophical reverence for the cosmos, women, and peace. Each artist developed his or her own particular way of painting and typical symbolism. Tiga's own technique of working called "soleil brulee" or "burnt sun" involved a mixture of inks, acrylic and acids lending his canvases a raw, primal feeling.
An interview with Carole Cleaver, the widow of author Selden Rodman, is also found in the "Collector's Corner" of "Haitian Art Views." She talks about the first piece of Haitian art she bought, when and why she began collecting, and her adventures along the way. She is the co-author with her late husband of the book "Spirits of the Night: The Vaudun Gods of Haiti" in addition to numerous newspaper and magazine articles about Haiti. A key portion of the interview is devoted to what she plans to do with her massive collection. Others can take their cues from her experience.
This season's "Artist Interview" is with Arijac, a contemporary painter known for his portraits and landscapes. Now a resident of North Miami, Florida, the artist reflects on his output, sources of inspiration, method of working, and hoped-for legacy.
A section for classified ads will allow collectors and others to communicate their wish to buy, sell or trade Haitian art and related items. Rolles, Viard and myself are hopeful that "Haitian Art Views" will prompt letter-writing on the part of readers who agree with or object to the opinions stated in the pages of our newsletter. We hope it will serve as a place for intelligent dialogue and debate among well-informed people. We are also open to suggestion in terms of what our readers want to see in future issues. It's an exciting time for us and we hope other people agree, so please pass on the information about "Haitian Art Views" to interested parties.
The first issue is out and available for free to anyone who asks, so please email me at both LuLuchat@aol.com and copy the email to LuLugatos@gmail.com. Yearly subscriptions, beginning with the January, 2008 issue, are $20.
Our first-ever full-color wall calendar is soon coming off the presses. It features people and places in Haiti from a variety of photographers including Rolles and myself. The price is $20. Please email me for more information.
-the end-
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
New Generation of Haitian Artists
March 25, 2007
The Saint Soleil movement, dubbed by the late author and scholar Selden Rodman "the avant-garde of Haitian popular art," is proud to unveil the works of the younger generation. Levoy Exil and Denis Smith, the only two living originators of this art movement dealing with the same iconography, have good reason to nurture the talents of young men and women. By encouraging new artists working in the Saint Soleil style, the popularity of Saint Soleil is sustained.
In a recent visit in early March to South Florida, Levoy Exil brought treasures from his own hands, as well as paintings by artists heretofore unseen in the United States. Marie Danielle Exil is the daughter of Levoy Exil. A woman in her thirties, she paints in a remarkably similar style to her father, where not a scintilla of available canvas is untouched by a shape, a dot or a line. She is also a strong colorist with a palette entirely different from her famous father. Her lines are more sensual and organic. I was lucky to purchase four of her paintings -- one for myself and three others of smaller size to put up for sale (watch my website in the coming weeks).
Marie Danielle Exil uses felicitous combinations of colors -- varying shades of pink, purple, turquoise and yellow. Her figures are feminine with upturned mouths and thick curling eyelashes. Collectively, these figures seem amused at the cosmos as they float in a sea of dreamy half-circles and cradle creatures of unknown origin. With undeniable charm and a hand all her own, this new Exil has already caught fire in Italy and France, where her father exhibited her paintings to great acclaim. I'm very excited to have these artworks and look forward to buying more.
Onel, a young man, is the other new artist introduced by Levoy Exil on his recent trip. Not only paint but collage is incorporated into Onel's canvases -- bits of cloth, magazine photos of 1950s pin-up girls, and even Coca-Cola bottle caps! Inventive in the extreme, Onel's spirited artwork is completely original in Haitian art. He's also selling more expensive pieces than Marie Danielle Exil. My friends Margareth and Reynolds Rolles purchased the best painting by Onel featuring a large cross and multiple adornments. It's a masterpiece worthy of a museum exhibition.
With the deterioration of the art gallery system in Haiti, due in part to the deaths of major dealers like Dr. Carlos Jara and Issa el-Saieh, artists are left more and more on their own to get their artwork to a larger world marketplace than Port-au-Prince. Collectors in the U.S., Canada, Europe and more places are eager to see what remarkable output is being created in Haiti right now. I hope to bring you more information and new original art in the coming months. Stay tuned.
--Candice Russell
The Saint Soleil movement, dubbed by the late author and scholar Selden Rodman "the avant-garde of Haitian popular art," is proud to unveil the works of the younger generation. Levoy Exil and Denis Smith, the only two living originators of this art movement dealing with the same iconography, have good reason to nurture the talents of young men and women. By encouraging new artists working in the Saint Soleil style, the popularity of Saint Soleil is sustained.
In a recent visit in early March to South Florida, Levoy Exil brought treasures from his own hands, as well as paintings by artists heretofore unseen in the United States. Marie Danielle Exil is the daughter of Levoy Exil. A woman in her thirties, she paints in a remarkably similar style to her father, where not a scintilla of available canvas is untouched by a shape, a dot or a line. She is also a strong colorist with a palette entirely different from her famous father. Her lines are more sensual and organic. I was lucky to purchase four of her paintings -- one for myself and three others of smaller size to put up for sale (watch my website in the coming weeks).
Marie Danielle Exil uses felicitous combinations of colors -- varying shades of pink, purple, turquoise and yellow. Her figures are feminine with upturned mouths and thick curling eyelashes. Collectively, these figures seem amused at the cosmos as they float in a sea of dreamy half-circles and cradle creatures of unknown origin. With undeniable charm and a hand all her own, this new Exil has already caught fire in Italy and France, where her father exhibited her paintings to great acclaim. I'm very excited to have these artworks and look forward to buying more.
Onel, a young man, is the other new artist introduced by Levoy Exil on his recent trip. Not only paint but collage is incorporated into Onel's canvases -- bits of cloth, magazine photos of 1950s pin-up girls, and even Coca-Cola bottle caps! Inventive in the extreme, Onel's spirited artwork is completely original in Haitian art. He's also selling more expensive pieces than Marie Danielle Exil. My friends Margareth and Reynolds Rolles purchased the best painting by Onel featuring a large cross and multiple adornments. It's a masterpiece worthy of a museum exhibition.
With the deterioration of the art gallery system in Haiti, due in part to the deaths of major dealers like Dr. Carlos Jara and Issa el-Saieh, artists are left more and more on their own to get their artwork to a larger world marketplace than Port-au-Prince. Collectors in the U.S., Canada, Europe and more places are eager to see what remarkable output is being created in Haiti right now. I hope to bring you more information and new original art in the coming months. Stay tuned.
--Candice Russell
Monday, January 01, 2007
A New Year with New Hope
January 1, 2007
A New Year with New Hope
On this gloriously sunny and warm sub-tropical South Florida day, one cannot help but be hopeful for Haiti and the enduring talent of its fine artists. Though they face incredible hardships in a country of great political instability and scant infrastructure, the artists continue to create against the odds. They are compelled to exercise their creativity in new and exciting ways.
The newest "medium" within Haitian art is the recycling of rubber tires into wonderful mortal creatures. They are magnificent silhouette figures with facial features -- eyes, nose and mouth -- created from the negative space of cutting out the rubber. In many ways, these odd creatures convey a ghostly or otherworldly appearance perhaps related to Haitian Vodou, the dominant religion. What is obvious is how these rubber entities resemble the cutouts from another recycled material, flattened oil drums made of metal, by the late Georges Liautaud. He often employed spirits of Vodou including Baron Samedi with his top hat and bare feet. Discovered by the artist and art dealer Axelle Liautaud, the artists making use of this new form are channeling the cartoon character Caspar as much as the roots of their own religious culture. I own three, all bought from Axelle, and plan to group them on a wall. Slightly amoebic as well with their delightfully misshapen bodies, these figures connote the unseen world of Vodou spirits who work their way in the lives of all Haitians.
Haitian art never stops. It just transforms and keeps going. Savvy collectors pay attention to these revelations of talent. Let's hope that fate is kind to Haiti this year -- less violence, more order, more peace -- and that there is a wider global appreciation of the art produced by the island's legion of remarkable artists.
-- Candice Russell
-30-
A New Year with New Hope
On this gloriously sunny and warm sub-tropical South Florida day, one cannot help but be hopeful for Haiti and the enduring talent of its fine artists. Though they face incredible hardships in a country of great political instability and scant infrastructure, the artists continue to create against the odds. They are compelled to exercise their creativity in new and exciting ways.
The newest "medium" within Haitian art is the recycling of rubber tires into wonderful mortal creatures. They are magnificent silhouette figures with facial features -- eyes, nose and mouth -- created from the negative space of cutting out the rubber. In many ways, these odd creatures convey a ghostly or otherworldly appearance perhaps related to Haitian Vodou, the dominant religion. What is obvious is how these rubber entities resemble the cutouts from another recycled material, flattened oil drums made of metal, by the late Georges Liautaud. He often employed spirits of Vodou including Baron Samedi with his top hat and bare feet. Discovered by the artist and art dealer Axelle Liautaud, the artists making use of this new form are channeling the cartoon character Caspar as much as the roots of their own religious culture. I own three, all bought from Axelle, and plan to group them on a wall. Slightly amoebic as well with their delightfully misshapen bodies, these figures connote the unseen world of Vodou spirits who work their way in the lives of all Haitians.
Haitian art never stops. It just transforms and keeps going. Savvy collectors pay attention to these revelations of talent. Let's hope that fate is kind to Haiti this year -- less violence, more order, more peace -- and that there is a wider global appreciation of the art produced by the island's legion of remarkable artists.
-- Candice Russell
-30-
Monday, December 18, 2006
Haitian Art Loses a Master
“Haitian Art Loses a Master” -- December 17, 2006
A titan of Haitian art has passed away. Haitian-born artist and educator Jean Claude Garoute, known to the art world as “Tiga,” died on Thursday of liver cancer in a Fort Lauderdale hospice. Before his death at age 71, four days after his birthday, Tiga hosted a steady stream of visitors to his bedside, including artists like Patrick Gerald Wah who traveled from New York to see him. A televised tribute to Tiga aired on New York television last weekend and was seen by the ailing Tiga, whose mind remained sharp until the end even though his body was ravaged by disease.
Another visitor was Levoy Exil, a painter in the Saint Soleil movement, known as the avant-garde of Haitian popular art. This seminal movement was started by Tiga in 1972 with five core artists including Exil, Prospere Pierre Louis, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Dieuseul Paul, and Denis Smith in Soisson la Montagne. Only Exil and Smith are still alive. Saint Soleil paintings are characterized by explosive color, semi-abstract figures, doves as symbols of peace, and women as the source of creation. Connected to the dominant Haitian religion of Vodou, Saint Soleil also connects to a larger sense of sacredness, according to the writing of Tiga, who based it on four key words -- dream, possession, creation and madness..
In visiting from his Thomasaint, Haiti home, Exil expressed gratefulness to Tiga for giving him the freedom and education that changed his whole life and allowed him to raise fourteen children.
“My relationship with Tiga is very spiritual,” Exil said after visiting him in the hospice. “He gave me three brushes and told me to do anything I felt like doing. President (Rene) Preval has great regard for Tiga and inquired after his health. He sees him as an icon or master of Haitian art.”
Exil explains that when he spoke to Tiga, “There is such electricity in the communication. Because of his illness, his body was practically gone but his mind keeps him so strong. If not for that, he would have been gone already. Tiga says that the moon receives the soul of a person and the sun burns the body to cleanse it so it can come back to life.”
Making peace with the fact of his impending death, Tiga had no fear about it, according to Exil. He merely saw death as a transformation of his energy and a continuation of his soul in another form. Those who knew and loved him are more prone to celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing.
Carnival in Haiti next February will be dedicated to Tiga and the Saint Soleil movement. Exil and Smith are working on the floats for the parades in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, as well as their costumes. Tiga’s daughter Pascal Garoute will lead the parade. This Carnival plans to be one of the most spectacular celebrations in recent years.
Saint Soleil came along at the right time, according to Selden Rodman in the book “Where Art is Joy: The First Forty Years of Haitian Art.” The art market had become commercialized and painters felt more comfortable copying other people’s masterpieces than creating original works of their own. In 1996 Tiga wrote that Saint Soleil’s “primary purpose was the rehabilitation of art and the liberation of the human spirit through media corresponding to all senses: clay, drums, colors, voice, stone, ink, etc.”
French writer Andre Malraux became impressed with the Saint Soleil painters during a 1976 visit to Haiti and wrote in the book “L’Intemporel” about the movement as “the most striking and only controllable experiment in the magic world of painting in our century.”
Haitian art collector Reynolds Rolles of Plantation, who is also a fine art photographer, said, “Tiga could see your potential and give you the tools to develop them. He was honest, friendly and trustworthy. His best quality was his personality. Not only was he a great artist. His Saint Soleil movement put Haitian art on the map internationally and made art lovers see differently things they never saw before.”
Tiga’s art was featured in a benefit for the A.C.T.I.O.N. Foundation, a Broward-based non-profit organization promoting Creole art and culture, several years ago in the courtyard of the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale. Eric Boucicaut, the foundation’s president and an art collector, said, “The contribution of Tiga is immense not only at the level of visual art but at the level of culture. He had a theory of artistic rotation which entailed the use of many different media almost simultaneously. It worked with adults as well as young children and the mentally challenged who were his students.
“Tiga was a singer, philosopher, poet, researcher and fantastic sculptor as well as the creator of Saint Soleil, one of the most important movements in Haitian art. This is a major loss for Haiti. ”
Susan Karten, an American clothing designer and resident of Boca Raton, studied art with Tiga years ago when she lived in Haiti. She and her late husband Morton Karten had a business there (she still does) and lived in Haiti for thirty years. “He was very intense in a quiet way,” she says. “Tiga’s intensity made me create. He only let us use three colors -- red, yellow and blue -- because he said from those you can make anything.”
The only local museum show in the tri-county South Florida area devoted exclusively to the Saint Soleil artists was held at the Center of Contemporary Art (now the Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Miami, Florida in the early 1990s. Exil and Saint Fleurant came from Haiti for the show’s opening, then jointly created a mural commemorating this special event in an all-day event. Artist Philippe Dodard also participated in the painting. It was at this mural-painting that I purchased works on paper in black-and-white by both Saint Fleurant and Prospere Pierre Louis, along with a notebook of oversized pen-and-ink drawings by Exil.
Funeral arrangements for Tiga are pending in Haiti. He told Exil that he wanted to be cremated, to return to the fire.
-- Candice Russell
-30-
A titan of Haitian art has passed away. Haitian-born artist and educator Jean Claude Garoute, known to the art world as “Tiga,” died on Thursday of liver cancer in a Fort Lauderdale hospice. Before his death at age 71, four days after his birthday, Tiga hosted a steady stream of visitors to his bedside, including artists like Patrick Gerald Wah who traveled from New York to see him. A televised tribute to Tiga aired on New York television last weekend and was seen by the ailing Tiga, whose mind remained sharp until the end even though his body was ravaged by disease.
Another visitor was Levoy Exil, a painter in the Saint Soleil movement, known as the avant-garde of Haitian popular art. This seminal movement was started by Tiga in 1972 with five core artists including Exil, Prospere Pierre Louis, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Dieuseul Paul, and Denis Smith in Soisson la Montagne. Only Exil and Smith are still alive. Saint Soleil paintings are characterized by explosive color, semi-abstract figures, doves as symbols of peace, and women as the source of creation. Connected to the dominant Haitian religion of Vodou, Saint Soleil also connects to a larger sense of sacredness, according to the writing of Tiga, who based it on four key words -- dream, possession, creation and madness..
In visiting from his Thomasaint, Haiti home, Exil expressed gratefulness to Tiga for giving him the freedom and education that changed his whole life and allowed him to raise fourteen children.
“My relationship with Tiga is very spiritual,” Exil said after visiting him in the hospice. “He gave me three brushes and told me to do anything I felt like doing. President (Rene) Preval has great regard for Tiga and inquired after his health. He sees him as an icon or master of Haitian art.”
Exil explains that when he spoke to Tiga, “There is such electricity in the communication. Because of his illness, his body was practically gone but his mind keeps him so strong. If not for that, he would have been gone already. Tiga says that the moon receives the soul of a person and the sun burns the body to cleanse it so it can come back to life.”
Making peace with the fact of his impending death, Tiga had no fear about it, according to Exil. He merely saw death as a transformation of his energy and a continuation of his soul in another form. Those who knew and loved him are more prone to celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing.
Carnival in Haiti next February will be dedicated to Tiga and the Saint Soleil movement. Exil and Smith are working on the floats for the parades in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, as well as their costumes. Tiga’s daughter Pascal Garoute will lead the parade. This Carnival plans to be one of the most spectacular celebrations in recent years.
Saint Soleil came along at the right time, according to Selden Rodman in the book “Where Art is Joy: The First Forty Years of Haitian Art.” The art market had become commercialized and painters felt more comfortable copying other people’s masterpieces than creating original works of their own. In 1996 Tiga wrote that Saint Soleil’s “primary purpose was the rehabilitation of art and the liberation of the human spirit through media corresponding to all senses: clay, drums, colors, voice, stone, ink, etc.”
French writer Andre Malraux became impressed with the Saint Soleil painters during a 1976 visit to Haiti and wrote in the book “L’Intemporel” about the movement as “the most striking and only controllable experiment in the magic world of painting in our century.”
Haitian art collector Reynolds Rolles of Plantation, who is also a fine art photographer, said, “Tiga could see your potential and give you the tools to develop them. He was honest, friendly and trustworthy. His best quality was his personality. Not only was he a great artist. His Saint Soleil movement put Haitian art on the map internationally and made art lovers see differently things they never saw before.”
Tiga’s art was featured in a benefit for the A.C.T.I.O.N. Foundation, a Broward-based non-profit organization promoting Creole art and culture, several years ago in the courtyard of the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale. Eric Boucicaut, the foundation’s president and an art collector, said, “The contribution of Tiga is immense not only at the level of visual art but at the level of culture. He had a theory of artistic rotation which entailed the use of many different media almost simultaneously. It worked with adults as well as young children and the mentally challenged who were his students.
“Tiga was a singer, philosopher, poet, researcher and fantastic sculptor as well as the creator of Saint Soleil, one of the most important movements in Haitian art. This is a major loss for Haiti. ”
Susan Karten, an American clothing designer and resident of Boca Raton, studied art with Tiga years ago when she lived in Haiti. She and her late husband Morton Karten had a business there (she still does) and lived in Haiti for thirty years. “He was very intense in a quiet way,” she says. “Tiga’s intensity made me create. He only let us use three colors -- red, yellow and blue -- because he said from those you can make anything.”
The only local museum show in the tri-county South Florida area devoted exclusively to the Saint Soleil artists was held at the Center of Contemporary Art (now the Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Miami, Florida in the early 1990s. Exil and Saint Fleurant came from Haiti for the show’s opening, then jointly created a mural commemorating this special event in an all-day event. Artist Philippe Dodard also participated in the painting. It was at this mural-painting that I purchased works on paper in black-and-white by both Saint Fleurant and Prospere Pierre Louis, along with a notebook of oversized pen-and-ink drawings by Exil.
Funeral arrangements for Tiga are pending in Haiti. He told Exil that he wanted to be cremated, to return to the fire.
-- Candice Russell
-30-
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Last Weekend of Phenomenal Haitian Art Sale
"Last Weekend of Phenomenal Haitian Art Sale"
This is the last weekend of my annual 2006 Haitian Art Sale at my home in Plantation, which is located in western Broward County. Both Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m. is the time to come and enjoy fantastic craft items ridiculously low-priced, including a painted metal palm tree leaf plate (perfect for croissants or mangos), a smiling sun face that would look great on a kitchen wall, and a snazzy lizard to perk up a child's room.
Master painters abound in this show including Prospere Pierre Louis, Andre Pierre, Pierre Joseph Valcin, Stivenson Magloire, Etienne Chavannes, Gelin Buteau, Levoy Exil, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Amerlin Delinois, Gerard Valcin, Georges Liautaud, and many more. Gorgeous Vodou flags including works by geniuses and pioneers of the medium like Clotaire Bazile, creating medium-size treasures priced at less than $350, and the always-creative Georges Valris, who made a Marassa of arms-linked females that is to die for, are also part of this year's mix. It's quite a show!
Guests this year have included author-scholar Paula Harper, who is a University of Miami art professor, gallery owner Berenice Steinbaum of the Berenice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami's Design District, artists Leigh Walker and Nancy Edelstein, photographer Reynolds Rolles and his wife Margareth, and George Bolge, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art and his wife Marguerite, among many others. Some of the wonderful Haitian art items that were purchased this year include a museum-quality Vodou flag of a mermaid by Mireille Delice, the cousin of Myrlande Constant, miniature painted metal horses (all gone by second weekend), hand-painted tiles with Vodou symbolism, a mixed-media sculpture of an angel by Lionel Saint Eloi, and a fantastic painting by Phelix Brochette, whose style is like Colombian artist Fernando Botero in that he paints people of extra poundage.
Who knows who will come and what will be sold this weekend? If you're in the South Florida region, please stop by and have a glass of champagne as you enjoy the sale in a comfortable home setting.
--Candice Russell
-30-
This is the last weekend of my annual 2006 Haitian Art Sale at my home in Plantation, which is located in western Broward County. Both Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m. is the time to come and enjoy fantastic craft items ridiculously low-priced, including a painted metal palm tree leaf plate (perfect for croissants or mangos), a smiling sun face that would look great on a kitchen wall, and a snazzy lizard to perk up a child's room.
Master painters abound in this show including Prospere Pierre Louis, Andre Pierre, Pierre Joseph Valcin, Stivenson Magloire, Etienne Chavannes, Gelin Buteau, Levoy Exil, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Amerlin Delinois, Gerard Valcin, Georges Liautaud, and many more. Gorgeous Vodou flags including works by geniuses and pioneers of the medium like Clotaire Bazile, creating medium-size treasures priced at less than $350, and the always-creative Georges Valris, who made a Marassa of arms-linked females that is to die for, are also part of this year's mix. It's quite a show!
Guests this year have included author-scholar Paula Harper, who is a University of Miami art professor, gallery owner Berenice Steinbaum of the Berenice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami's Design District, artists Leigh Walker and Nancy Edelstein, photographer Reynolds Rolles and his wife Margareth, and George Bolge, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art and his wife Marguerite, among many others. Some of the wonderful Haitian art items that were purchased this year include a museum-quality Vodou flag of a mermaid by Mireille Delice, the cousin of Myrlande Constant, miniature painted metal horses (all gone by second weekend), hand-painted tiles with Vodou symbolism, a mixed-media sculpture of an angel by Lionel Saint Eloi, and a fantastic painting by Phelix Brochette, whose style is like Colombian artist Fernando Botero in that he paints people of extra poundage.
Who knows who will come and what will be sold this weekend? If you're in the South Florida region, please stop by and have a glass of champagne as you enjoy the sale in a comfortable home setting.
--Candice Russell
-30-
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Haitian Art Thriving in South Florida
December 4, 2006
"Haitian Art Thriving in South Florida"
By Candice Russell
Last weekend was weekend number two of a four-weekend Haitian art extravaganza, a show and sale at my home in western Broward County. And what a spectacular weekend it was.
The 2006 Holiday sale of wonderful paintings includes work by the Saint Soleil masters like Prospere Pierre Louis and Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Etienne Chavannes, Wagler Vital, landscape genius Bresil, Pierre-Joseph Valcin, the late great Stivenson Magloire, and many other artists of renown. Vodou flag luminaries including Clotaire Bazile and Georges Valris are also represented with glittering examples of their exquisite workmanship and stunning designs. This year brought new items from Haiti, courtesy of my dear friend Lange Rosner, who finds art for me and sends it to me. Superb examples in unpainted metal include delicate little trees with birds perched in the branches -- something I had never seen before. From small gift purchases like sequined and beaded eyeglass cases emblazoned with cheery hearts or fish to large paintings dramatically perfect for a living room wall, this year's treasures are truly wonderful as local collectors discover.
Quite unexpectedly, one of my favorite artists came to town last weekend and visited my home during the Haitian art sale. Courtesy of a neighbor and friend, Haitian-born photographer Reynolds Rolles, the Saint Soleil painter Levoy Exil was my guest. The occasion for his being in South Florida, rather than in his home in Thomasaint, Haiti near Kenscoff or in New York where he also lives, was a sad one. Tiga, also known as Jean-Claude Garoute, is the founder of the Saint Soleil movement several decades ago and he is ill in a Fort Lauderdale hospice. Levoy Exil came to see Tiga and bask in his wisdom and the intensity that always characterizes their communication.
Exil brought a handful of very strong paintings that he had completed within the last several years. I purchased one for myself, a vivid canvas of a single figure -- a winged angel -- surrounded by the angularity of straight lines. These marvelous stripes are an ideal means of surrounding the angel. And the colors are heavenly -- orange, yellow, pink, always outlined in Exil's traditional black lines.
The artist also brought good news. For the first time that any of my Haitian friends can remember, the Carnival in Haiti next February will be themed. In honor of Tiga and the Saint Soleil movement of avant-garde contemporary painters, the Carnival is dedicated to both the man and the movement that elevated the status of Haitian art in the global art world. Exil is returning to Haiti on Tuesday to work on floats for the Carnival parade with several relatives. The only remaining Saint Soleil painter from the original core group -- Denis Smith -- is travelling back to Haiti from his current home in New York in order to also participate in the Carnival celebration. It's enough to make reluctant tourists return to the beleaguered country in order to witness this extraordinary event. Unfortunately, three other originals in the Saint Soleil group have passed away, including Prospere Pierre Louis, Louisiane Saint Fleurant (who was the mother of Stivenson Magloire) and, most recently, Dieuseul Paul who died last summer.
Haitian art lovers are encouraged to contact me at Luluchat@aol.com for more information about my current show or to receive a free photo packet from me via the U.S. post office, tailored to your specifications. Catching on with more and more people, Haitian art is the wave of the future. Who knows what might happen next weekend at the show? Stay tuned.
-30-
"Haitian Art Thriving in South Florida"
By Candice Russell
Last weekend was weekend number two of a four-weekend Haitian art extravaganza, a show and sale at my home in western Broward County. And what a spectacular weekend it was.
The 2006 Holiday sale of wonderful paintings includes work by the Saint Soleil masters like Prospere Pierre Louis and Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Etienne Chavannes, Wagler Vital, landscape genius Bresil, Pierre-Joseph Valcin, the late great Stivenson Magloire, and many other artists of renown. Vodou flag luminaries including Clotaire Bazile and Georges Valris are also represented with glittering examples of their exquisite workmanship and stunning designs. This year brought new items from Haiti, courtesy of my dear friend Lange Rosner, who finds art for me and sends it to me. Superb examples in unpainted metal include delicate little trees with birds perched in the branches -- something I had never seen before. From small gift purchases like sequined and beaded eyeglass cases emblazoned with cheery hearts or fish to large paintings dramatically perfect for a living room wall, this year's treasures are truly wonderful as local collectors discover.
Quite unexpectedly, one of my favorite artists came to town last weekend and visited my home during the Haitian art sale. Courtesy of a neighbor and friend, Haitian-born photographer Reynolds Rolles, the Saint Soleil painter Levoy Exil was my guest. The occasion for his being in South Florida, rather than in his home in Thomasaint, Haiti near Kenscoff or in New York where he also lives, was a sad one. Tiga, also known as Jean-Claude Garoute, is the founder of the Saint Soleil movement several decades ago and he is ill in a Fort Lauderdale hospice. Levoy Exil came to see Tiga and bask in his wisdom and the intensity that always characterizes their communication.
Exil brought a handful of very strong paintings that he had completed within the last several years. I purchased one for myself, a vivid canvas of a single figure -- a winged angel -- surrounded by the angularity of straight lines. These marvelous stripes are an ideal means of surrounding the angel. And the colors are heavenly -- orange, yellow, pink, always outlined in Exil's traditional black lines.
The artist also brought good news. For the first time that any of my Haitian friends can remember, the Carnival in Haiti next February will be themed. In honor of Tiga and the Saint Soleil movement of avant-garde contemporary painters, the Carnival is dedicated to both the man and the movement that elevated the status of Haitian art in the global art world. Exil is returning to Haiti on Tuesday to work on floats for the Carnival parade with several relatives. The only remaining Saint Soleil painter from the original core group -- Denis Smith -- is travelling back to Haiti from his current home in New York in order to also participate in the Carnival celebration. It's enough to make reluctant tourists return to the beleaguered country in order to witness this extraordinary event. Unfortunately, three other originals in the Saint Soleil group have passed away, including Prospere Pierre Louis, Louisiane Saint Fleurant (who was the mother of Stivenson Magloire) and, most recently, Dieuseul Paul who died last summer.
Haitian art lovers are encouraged to contact me at Luluchat@aol.com for more information about my current show or to receive a free photo packet from me via the U.S. post office, tailored to your specifications. Catching on with more and more people, Haitian art is the wave of the future. Who knows what might happen next weekend at the show? Stay tuned.
-30-
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
ANIMALS IN HAITIAN ART
September 25, 2006
By Candice Russell
The most natural thing in the world is for Haitian artists to include animals of all sorts in their paintings and sculptures in wood and papier-mache. As an island country whose population is or at what time was primarily rural and agrarian, Haiti and its development have gone hand-in-hand with the progress of animals. Though they see them as sources of labor (even today, you'll see cigar-smoking women riding side-saddle on horses in Port-au-Prince) or food (chickens, goats, bulls), that fact doesn't lessen their significance in the minds of Haitians who depend on them for work and sustenance. Characteristic of this fact is the painting "Papa Ogoun and Papa Zaca" by Hector Hyppolite, picture in Selden Rodman's book "Renaissance in Haiti: Popular Painters in the Black Republic." The two papas are Haitian Vodou spirits brought to glorious mortal life riding horses, a regal form of four-footed transportation.
Great artists from the beginning of the renaissance in Haitian art, dating from the mid-1940s, have used animals as subjects. Micius Stephane, featured in the recent Haitian art exhibition "Allegories of Haitian Life from the Jonathan Demme Collection," made more than a few paintings with dogs and cats in prominent roles. "Big Cat and Little Cat" (1965) shows only those two animals in a pretty domestic setting with lovely curtains. The white mother cat stands on the tile floor between two potted plants and looks lovingly at her baby white kitten. Cats, by the way, are deemed a sign of good luck in Haiti -- perhaps because only people with money can afford to own them as pets. In "Scaring Away Birds" (c. 1963), Stephane shows a flock chased away by a thrown rock and the barking of a dog from a field of millet or corn that they might destroy.
Toussaint Auguste's painting "Birds and Nests" (1949) also owned by filmmaker-collector Demme, shows five mother birds sitting on nests of eggs about to hatch, while a sixth bird sits on a branch regarding all the eggs in her nest. Auguste painted a metaphorical painting about the need for protection, guardianship and love.
Salnave Philippe-Auguste, Haiti's Rousseau, is perhaps best known for a poster reproduced from his painting of a line of pink flamingoes. Anthropomorphizing of animals is the province of Jean Veny-Brezil, whose portraits of cat families in human clothing have a poignance that is beyond animalistic. These are relationship paintings, with all the cats engaged in selling flowers or some other uniting activity.
The jungle animal genre of Haitian art is thriving with a variety of artists painting zebras, lions, tigers, giraffes and elements in verdant forests. Is this some kind of racial memory on the part of Haitian artists dating back to their ancestors' experiences in the homeland of Africa? Regardless of the inspiration, these paintings by such masters as Gabriel Alix are abundant in personality. Animal lovers are collectors of these works, which are riotously colored. Alix is also known for imaginatively adorning the branches of his rain forest trees with all manner of fruits.Animals also appear in papier-mache form -- there's a giraffe on my living room and a plump papier-mache zebra on a bookshelf.
One of my favorite animal items from Haiti was purchased by a vendor selling to people departing Haiti from the Port-au-Prince airport fifteen years ago. It's a toy carved of wood that you hold in one hand and swing so that a carved chicken sitting on a platform and attached to a string pecks at little pieces of corn. The cleverness of Haitian artists at all levels knows no bounds.
-the end-
By Candice Russell
The most natural thing in the world is for Haitian artists to include animals of all sorts in their paintings and sculptures in wood and papier-mache. As an island country whose population is or at what time was primarily rural and agrarian, Haiti and its development have gone hand-in-hand with the progress of animals. Though they see them as sources of labor (even today, you'll see cigar-smoking women riding side-saddle on horses in Port-au-Prince) or food (chickens, goats, bulls), that fact doesn't lessen their significance in the minds of Haitians who depend on them for work and sustenance. Characteristic of this fact is the painting "Papa Ogoun and Papa Zaca" by Hector Hyppolite, picture in Selden Rodman's book "Renaissance in Haiti: Popular Painters in the Black Republic." The two papas are Haitian Vodou spirits brought to glorious mortal life riding horses, a regal form of four-footed transportation.
Great artists from the beginning of the renaissance in Haitian art, dating from the mid-1940s, have used animals as subjects. Micius Stephane, featured in the recent Haitian art exhibition "Allegories of Haitian Life from the Jonathan Demme Collection," made more than a few paintings with dogs and cats in prominent roles. "Big Cat and Little Cat" (1965) shows only those two animals in a pretty domestic setting with lovely curtains. The white mother cat stands on the tile floor between two potted plants and looks lovingly at her baby white kitten. Cats, by the way, are deemed a sign of good luck in Haiti -- perhaps because only people with money can afford to own them as pets. In "Scaring Away Birds" (c. 1963), Stephane shows a flock chased away by a thrown rock and the barking of a dog from a field of millet or corn that they might destroy.
Toussaint Auguste's painting "Birds and Nests" (1949) also owned by filmmaker-collector Demme, shows five mother birds sitting on nests of eggs about to hatch, while a sixth bird sits on a branch regarding all the eggs in her nest. Auguste painted a metaphorical painting about the need for protection, guardianship and love.
Salnave Philippe-Auguste, Haiti's Rousseau, is perhaps best known for a poster reproduced from his painting of a line of pink flamingoes. Anthropomorphizing of animals is the province of Jean Veny-Brezil, whose portraits of cat families in human clothing have a poignance that is beyond animalistic. These are relationship paintings, with all the cats engaged in selling flowers or some other uniting activity.
The jungle animal genre of Haitian art is thriving with a variety of artists painting zebras, lions, tigers, giraffes and elements in verdant forests. Is this some kind of racial memory on the part of Haitian artists dating back to their ancestors' experiences in the homeland of Africa? Regardless of the inspiration, these paintings by such masters as Gabriel Alix are abundant in personality. Animal lovers are collectors of these works, which are riotously colored. Alix is also known for imaginatively adorning the branches of his rain forest trees with all manner of fruits.Animals also appear in papier-mache form -- there's a giraffe on my living room and a plump papier-mache zebra on a bookshelf.
One of my favorite animal items from Haiti was purchased by a vendor selling to people departing Haiti from the Port-au-Prince airport fifteen years ago. It's a toy carved of wood that you hold in one hand and swing so that a carved chicken sitting on a platform and attached to a string pecks at little pieces of corn. The cleverness of Haitian artists at all levels knows no bounds.
-the end-
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Gallery Scene in Haiti
September 16, 2006
By Candice Russell
Since this is the start of the fall season, prices have been reduced on key items on my website www.Haitianna.com to inaugurate this change. Now and in the coming weeks is the time to check the site regularly for new items, never be seen, for exceptionally good prices. This week look for new small Vodou flags, some real treasures by masters of the medium including Georges Valris, with wonderfully bargain prices at $25. Brick-and-mortar galleries sell similar flags for considerably more money. Collectors in the know, start clicking. It's likely we won't be able to keep these beauties in stock long.
The erratic gallery scene in Port-au-Prince, Haiti may not be able to nourish artists in the way it used to, even ten years ago. But that doesn't mean that artists stop creating. The market for Vodou flags, those labor-intensive squares of cloth elaborately encrusted with sequins and beads, keep being made by those in the business a long time. What's remarkable is that a large cottage industry in flags, with new creators popping up all the time, reflects the collectibility of these sacred textiles. There's nothing else even remotely like them in the world, so no wonder they are prized by people living far from the Caribbean island.
The painting scene in Haiti is questionable. One wonders how many artists are supported by galleries in Haiti versus how many others are creating in a vacuum without the backing they so crucially need. Conditions in Haiti don't make it favorable for tourists and collectors of adventurous mind to visit at the moment, exacerbating an already difficult situation. One can only hope that the vendors of good art -- metal sculptures painted and unpainted, wood masks, Vodou bottles and Vodou flags strung between trees -- are still prospering on the John Brown Road leading from Port-au-Prince to Petionville. One prays that dear Haiti and its creative geniuses are surviving and even thriving.
-30-
By Candice Russell
Since this is the start of the fall season, prices have been reduced on key items on my website www.Haitianna.com to inaugurate this change. Now and in the coming weeks is the time to check the site regularly for new items, never be seen, for exceptionally good prices. This week look for new small Vodou flags, some real treasures by masters of the medium including Georges Valris, with wonderfully bargain prices at $25. Brick-and-mortar galleries sell similar flags for considerably more money. Collectors in the know, start clicking. It's likely we won't be able to keep these beauties in stock long.
The erratic gallery scene in Port-au-Prince, Haiti may not be able to nourish artists in the way it used to, even ten years ago. But that doesn't mean that artists stop creating. The market for Vodou flags, those labor-intensive squares of cloth elaborately encrusted with sequins and beads, keep being made by those in the business a long time. What's remarkable is that a large cottage industry in flags, with new creators popping up all the time, reflects the collectibility of these sacred textiles. There's nothing else even remotely like them in the world, so no wonder they are prized by people living far from the Caribbean island.
The painting scene in Haiti is questionable. One wonders how many artists are supported by galleries in Haiti versus how many others are creating in a vacuum without the backing they so crucially need. Conditions in Haiti don't make it favorable for tourists and collectors of adventurous mind to visit at the moment, exacerbating an already difficult situation. One can only hope that the vendors of good art -- metal sculptures painted and unpainted, wood masks, Vodou bottles and Vodou flags strung between trees -- are still prospering on the John Brown Road leading from Port-au-Prince to Petionville. One prays that dear Haiti and its creative geniuses are surviving and even thriving.
-30-
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Dieuseul Paul - Haitian Painter
September 9, 2006
By Candice Russell
The recent death of Saint Soleil virtuoso painter Dieuseul Paul this summer has struck another blow to the Haitian art scene, both for gallery owners in Port-au-Prince and outside the country, and collectors who were curious to see more from this distinctive painter. In the paucity of information about Haitian art and artists working in the past fifteen years, it seems remarkable that we have the published records we do about Dieuseul Paul, who was interviewed in the book "Billeder Fra Haiti" or "Images from Haiti," an outstanding catalog in Danish and English based on the personal Haitian art collection of Danish filmmaker and sometime Haitian resident Jorgen Leth.
Paul said he started painting on Christmas day, 1971, though he wasn't formally exhibited with the Saint Soleil school of avant-garde Haitian painters until ten years later. Tiga Garoute, a painter himself, encouraged him and all the other Saint Soleil painters. Paul explains what he does and doesn't know about his art in "Images from Haiti:" "I am not able to give you all the explanations. That's for the intellectual, for the art critic to say what they really represent. This is what I do, this is my style. Look, here I can tell you this is a face or whether I see a flower. I can tell you this is a flower or this is a bird, but to tell you all the meaning at other levels would be very very difficult for me because I never went to school or to any painting school. It's just a mystery of Creation."
Yet he admitted there was a distinction in his own work that set it apart from the other four core artists in the Saint Soleil group -- Prospere Pierre Louis (deceased), Louisiane Saint Fleurant (deceased), Levoy Exil and Denis Smith. Those intimate with the styles of all five can immediately discern a Dieuseul Paul from a Levoy Exil, but it is hard to verbalize why. What Paul didn't address in the book was his remarkable sense of color. Hanging on my living room wall is one of my favorite paintings by this artist. "Three Women Joined," an acrylic on canvas measuring 24 1/2" by 24 1/2" framed, is a 1987 painting of the Marassa or triplets, protective Vodou spirits of children. It is rendered in Paul's traditional way, with heavy black outlining of the figures who are deep purple set against a vivid orange background. What a color combination! It sounds bizarre but somehow he made it work. Another favorite painting by Paul I found in a dusty gallery on Delmas Road in Port-au-Prince. It was on canvas and I had to have it. The problem was, it wasn't signed. I told my friend Dr. Carlos Jara, an esteemed art dealer in Haiti, to keep it and perhaps he would run into Paul some day. And he did! The next time Carlos visited me in Florida, he brought the signed painting, done in cheerful greens, reds and oranges.
The beginnings of life are the obsession of the Saint Soleil painters. Women are revered. There is a verve and energy about all the Saint Soleil artists' work. With the death of Dieuseul Paul, the value of his work increases for the specialized collector appreciative of his extraordinary paintings.
He ended his interview in "Images from Haiti" by saying this: "These are very spiritually inspired paintings representing harmony, unity and the relationship between the spiritual and the material. And this is exactly the power of art...There is such a strong spirit in Saint Soleil -- sometimes it prevents you from sleeping."
-the end-
By Candice Russell
The recent death of Saint Soleil virtuoso painter Dieuseul Paul this summer has struck another blow to the Haitian art scene, both for gallery owners in Port-au-Prince and outside the country, and collectors who were curious to see more from this distinctive painter. In the paucity of information about Haitian art and artists working in the past fifteen years, it seems remarkable that we have the published records we do about Dieuseul Paul, who was interviewed in the book "Billeder Fra Haiti" or "Images from Haiti," an outstanding catalog in Danish and English based on the personal Haitian art collection of Danish filmmaker and sometime Haitian resident Jorgen Leth.
Paul said he started painting on Christmas day, 1971, though he wasn't formally exhibited with the Saint Soleil school of avant-garde Haitian painters until ten years later. Tiga Garoute, a painter himself, encouraged him and all the other Saint Soleil painters. Paul explains what he does and doesn't know about his art in "Images from Haiti:" "I am not able to give you all the explanations. That's for the intellectual, for the art critic to say what they really represent. This is what I do, this is my style. Look, here I can tell you this is a face or whether I see a flower. I can tell you this is a flower or this is a bird, but to tell you all the meaning at other levels would be very very difficult for me because I never went to school or to any painting school. It's just a mystery of Creation."
Yet he admitted there was a distinction in his own work that set it apart from the other four core artists in the Saint Soleil group -- Prospere Pierre Louis (deceased), Louisiane Saint Fleurant (deceased), Levoy Exil and Denis Smith. Those intimate with the styles of all five can immediately discern a Dieuseul Paul from a Levoy Exil, but it is hard to verbalize why. What Paul didn't address in the book was his remarkable sense of color. Hanging on my living room wall is one of my favorite paintings by this artist. "Three Women Joined," an acrylic on canvas measuring 24 1/2" by 24 1/2" framed, is a 1987 painting of the Marassa or triplets, protective Vodou spirits of children. It is rendered in Paul's traditional way, with heavy black outlining of the figures who are deep purple set against a vivid orange background. What a color combination! It sounds bizarre but somehow he made it work. Another favorite painting by Paul I found in a dusty gallery on Delmas Road in Port-au-Prince. It was on canvas and I had to have it. The problem was, it wasn't signed. I told my friend Dr. Carlos Jara, an esteemed art dealer in Haiti, to keep it and perhaps he would run into Paul some day. And he did! The next time Carlos visited me in Florida, he brought the signed painting, done in cheerful greens, reds and oranges.
The beginnings of life are the obsession of the Saint Soleil painters. Women are revered. There is a verve and energy about all the Saint Soleil artists' work. With the death of Dieuseul Paul, the value of his work increases for the specialized collector appreciative of his extraordinary paintings.
He ended his interview in "Images from Haiti" by saying this: "These are very spiritually inspired paintings representing harmony, unity and the relationship between the spiritual and the material. And this is exactly the power of art...There is such a strong spirit in Saint Soleil -- sometimes it prevents you from sleeping."
-the end-
Thursday, August 31, 2006
HAITI IN THE MOVIES
September 1, 2006
By Candice Russell
For art collectors enamored of Haiti, a glimpse of island life on the big screen is sufficient to fire up a desire to visit in person. But going to Haiti isn’t as easy or safe as it used to be even three years ago. Haiti-maniacs like myself are having to make do with other people’s cinematic interpretations of Haiti. A new film in theaters called "Heading South" or "Vers Le Sud," since the language is occasionally French with English subtitles, is a sensual and disturbing view of Haiti in the late 1970s, in the innocent sexual times before AIDS reined in wantonly licentious behavior.
Charlotte Rampling as a Bostonian literature professor and Karen Young as a Georgia divorcee who discovered her bliss on a Haitian beach with a well-muscled teen-age boy play rivals for the affection of the handsome Legba. He attempts to please all the women who want his company, playing no favorites because they reward him with money and gifts in return for the pleasure of his sexual performance. A considerable gap of decades separates Legba and Rampling’s character, making her the biological peer of his grandmother, but no matter to either party. Gigolos dominate the elite scene at La Petite Anse, the beachside resort where the film’s action is set, and immorality or ethics seem to be no one’s concern.
While intense jealousy plays out between the women, Legba has troubles of his own with a well-connected ex-girlfriend who wants him back. The threat of danger no less than the desperation of Haiti for poor, beautiful women hangs over the drama. Director and co-writer Laurent Cantet, working from a novel by Dany Laferriere, conveys the tension between foreigners and Haitians at nearly every turn. The relationships are pathetically unequal and devoid of respect or understanding. All the insouciance, rum drinks and coupling cannot vanquish a sense of foreboding. It’s sad, it’s true and it’s worth seeing.
From what I could gather from the end credits, the beach scenes were shot in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island mass of Hispaniola with Haiti. Discerning collectors who see "Heading South" may notice background glimpses of Vodou flags in beachside cabins and metal sculptures by Serge Jolimeau on the walls of the plein air restaurant. I’m still waiting for a film about Haitian art from a contemporary fictional or non-fictional perspective.
Jonathan Demme, who ended "The Silence of the Lambs" with Anthony Hopkins talking on the telephone in Haiti, is the logical director of choice for such an ambitious project. He previously made the documentaries "Haiti: Dreams of Democracy" in 1987 about the overthrow of the Duvalier dictatorship and "The Agronomist" about the murder of a noted peaceful man of the land. Demme’s support of human rights in Haiti and his large Haitian art collection underscore his sympathy for the place and the people.
If Demme were to make the ultimate film about Haitian art in Haiti, it would be enough to counter the depressing excesses of the lamentable "The Serpent and the Rainbow," a big-budget Universal Pictures film that perverted and sensationalized the non-fiction book of the same title by Wade Davis.
-the end-
By Candice Russell
For art collectors enamored of Haiti, a glimpse of island life on the big screen is sufficient to fire up a desire to visit in person. But going to Haiti isn’t as easy or safe as it used to be even three years ago. Haiti-maniacs like myself are having to make do with other people’s cinematic interpretations of Haiti. A new film in theaters called "Heading South" or "Vers Le Sud," since the language is occasionally French with English subtitles, is a sensual and disturbing view of Haiti in the late 1970s, in the innocent sexual times before AIDS reined in wantonly licentious behavior.
Charlotte Rampling as a Bostonian literature professor and Karen Young as a Georgia divorcee who discovered her bliss on a Haitian beach with a well-muscled teen-age boy play rivals for the affection of the handsome Legba. He attempts to please all the women who want his company, playing no favorites because they reward him with money and gifts in return for the pleasure of his sexual performance. A considerable gap of decades separates Legba and Rampling’s character, making her the biological peer of his grandmother, but no matter to either party. Gigolos dominate the elite scene at La Petite Anse, the beachside resort where the film’s action is set, and immorality or ethics seem to be no one’s concern.
While intense jealousy plays out between the women, Legba has troubles of his own with a well-connected ex-girlfriend who wants him back. The threat of danger no less than the desperation of Haiti for poor, beautiful women hangs over the drama. Director and co-writer Laurent Cantet, working from a novel by Dany Laferriere, conveys the tension between foreigners and Haitians at nearly every turn. The relationships are pathetically unequal and devoid of respect or understanding. All the insouciance, rum drinks and coupling cannot vanquish a sense of foreboding. It’s sad, it’s true and it’s worth seeing.
From what I could gather from the end credits, the beach scenes were shot in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island mass of Hispaniola with Haiti. Discerning collectors who see "Heading South" may notice background glimpses of Vodou flags in beachside cabins and metal sculptures by Serge Jolimeau on the walls of the plein air restaurant. I’m still waiting for a film about Haitian art from a contemporary fictional or non-fictional perspective.
Jonathan Demme, who ended "The Silence of the Lambs" with Anthony Hopkins talking on the telephone in Haiti, is the logical director of choice for such an ambitious project. He previously made the documentaries "Haiti: Dreams of Democracy" in 1987 about the overthrow of the Duvalier dictatorship and "The Agronomist" about the murder of a noted peaceful man of the land. Demme’s support of human rights in Haiti and his large Haitian art collection underscore his sympathy for the place and the people.
If Demme were to make the ultimate film about Haitian art in Haiti, it would be enough to counter the depressing excesses of the lamentable "The Serpent and the Rainbow," a big-budget Universal Pictures film that perverted and sensationalized the non-fiction book of the same title by Wade Davis.
-the end-
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Gay Artists Flourish in Haiti
August 26, 2006
By Candice Russell
On the Caribbean island of Haiti, proud declarations of homosexuality go against the cultural norm of keeping intimate matters private. In spite of this fact, homosexual artists like the painter Prince Jean Jo, and Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, a genius of the voodoo flag medium who lives in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, are creating names for themselves and legacies of art that will outlive them in museums and private homes. Both artists have prized work for sale during my annual in-home Haitian art extravaganza in Plantation, scheduled every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas..
Prince Jean Jo, a native of Jacmel who died in 1996, was stereotypically flamboyant. According to the book "Images from Haiti: Jorgen’s Leth Collection," the artist "was a controversial figure in the provincial setting because of his demonstrative homosexuality." That didn’t matter to savvy gallery owners like the late Dr. Carlos Jara, who carried the artist’s raw, graffiti-inspired canvases with overtly gay themes alongside jungle scenes, fantasy landscapes and voodoo ceremonies painted by Haitian masters. These in-your-face depictions of stiff phalluses and lesbian lip locks by Prince Jean Jo, showcased by Jara in an exhibition at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince in 1991, were out of step with a culture known for public modesty. Other painters, with strong political biases, including Stivenson Magloire, know the value of making their symbolism dense enough to avoid easy decoding by an enemy regime. Prince Jean Jo, whose real name was the far less colorful Jean Jose Lafontant, didn’t care who he might offend by painting what was in his heart and mind.
Working in conscious imitation of Haitian-American Jean-Michel Basquiat, the deceased graffiti painter who became a fine artist in New York City, Prince Jean Jo went beyond painting canvases. He chose to experiment with different forms in mixed media collages, one of which is pictured in "Images from Haiti." Made from wood, textiles, a coconut shell and scary-looking drips of red oil paint, "Voodoo Nouveau" (1991) makes reference to Haiti’s politics and history. He is remembered fondly by Emeraude Michel Jara, the widow of Dr. Carlos Jara, who lives in Montreal, Canada: "Prince Jean Jo was a very friendly guy who knew a lot about literature and art. He worked as an English teacher."
To reach the home and studio of Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, a thin man of 39 fond of Nautica clothing, means driving down a dusty, unpaved road in the small town of Croix-des-Bouquets. The self-taught artist holds court in a space overwhelmed with his artistic output, with sequined and beaded squares of cloth in the making and in finished form hanging everywhere including the rafters. These voodoo flags depict in symbols and figures the spirits within the voodoo pantheon that are thought to control prosperity, health, romance, and the state of crops, among other things.
What sets his work apart is a wider range of subject matter and a vibrant use of unusual colors than his contemporaries. Joseph depicts traditional imagery, too, such as the regal-looking Virgin Mary known in Haitian voodoo as Erzulie, goddess of love. But it’s his whimsical portrayal of angels, fabulously long-tailed cats, and playful lizards, as much as his use of rich satin fabric and jewel-tone beads that distinguish the artist as someone very special.
Working side by side with Joseph is a team of teen-age boys who sit bent over clamped squares of white cotton cloth, sewing the designs made by the artist. Less demonstrative than Prince Jean Jo, Joseph does everything quietly, including negotiation for a purchase of multiple items by visiting foreign collectors. There is a lot to choose from -- similarly embellished vests, hats, eyeglass cases, and bottles.
New to his studio are a charming array of Christmas decorations including puffy hearts sequined and beaded on both sides, angels with multi-colored wings, stars, and other shapes. Joseph is alone in Haiti as a creator of these beautiful items which are designer pieces from a master of the textile medium. If one detects a touch of magic in his work, it is to be expected, since he began making voodoo flags after a dream urging him to do so. Without a mentor, Joseph the factory worker became one of Haiti’s best-known living artists.
-30-
By Candice Russell
On the Caribbean island of Haiti, proud declarations of homosexuality go against the cultural norm of keeping intimate matters private. In spite of this fact, homosexual artists like the painter Prince Jean Jo, and Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, a genius of the voodoo flag medium who lives in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, are creating names for themselves and legacies of art that will outlive them in museums and private homes. Both artists have prized work for sale during my annual in-home Haitian art extravaganza in Plantation, scheduled every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas..
Prince Jean Jo, a native of Jacmel who died in 1996, was stereotypically flamboyant. According to the book "Images from Haiti: Jorgen’s Leth Collection," the artist "was a controversial figure in the provincial setting because of his demonstrative homosexuality." That didn’t matter to savvy gallery owners like the late Dr. Carlos Jara, who carried the artist’s raw, graffiti-inspired canvases with overtly gay themes alongside jungle scenes, fantasy landscapes and voodoo ceremonies painted by Haitian masters. These in-your-face depictions of stiff phalluses and lesbian lip locks by Prince Jean Jo, showcased by Jara in an exhibition at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince in 1991, were out of step with a culture known for public modesty. Other painters, with strong political biases, including Stivenson Magloire, know the value of making their symbolism dense enough to avoid easy decoding by an enemy regime. Prince Jean Jo, whose real name was the far less colorful Jean Jose Lafontant, didn’t care who he might offend by painting what was in his heart and mind.
Working in conscious imitation of Haitian-American Jean-Michel Basquiat, the deceased graffiti painter who became a fine artist in New York City, Prince Jean Jo went beyond painting canvases. He chose to experiment with different forms in mixed media collages, one of which is pictured in "Images from Haiti." Made from wood, textiles, a coconut shell and scary-looking drips of red oil paint, "Voodoo Nouveau" (1991) makes reference to Haiti’s politics and history. He is remembered fondly by Emeraude Michel Jara, the widow of Dr. Carlos Jara, who lives in Montreal, Canada: "Prince Jean Jo was a very friendly guy who knew a lot about literature and art. He worked as an English teacher."
To reach the home and studio of Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, a thin man of 39 fond of Nautica clothing, means driving down a dusty, unpaved road in the small town of Croix-des-Bouquets. The self-taught artist holds court in a space overwhelmed with his artistic output, with sequined and beaded squares of cloth in the making and in finished form hanging everywhere including the rafters. These voodoo flags depict in symbols and figures the spirits within the voodoo pantheon that are thought to control prosperity, health, romance, and the state of crops, among other things.
What sets his work apart is a wider range of subject matter and a vibrant use of unusual colors than his contemporaries. Joseph depicts traditional imagery, too, such as the regal-looking Virgin Mary known in Haitian voodoo as Erzulie, goddess of love. But it’s his whimsical portrayal of angels, fabulously long-tailed cats, and playful lizards, as much as his use of rich satin fabric and jewel-tone beads that distinguish the artist as someone very special.
Working side by side with Joseph is a team of teen-age boys who sit bent over clamped squares of white cotton cloth, sewing the designs made by the artist. Less demonstrative than Prince Jean Jo, Joseph does everything quietly, including negotiation for a purchase of multiple items by visiting foreign collectors. There is a lot to choose from -- similarly embellished vests, hats, eyeglass cases, and bottles.
New to his studio are a charming array of Christmas decorations including puffy hearts sequined and beaded on both sides, angels with multi-colored wings, stars, and other shapes. Joseph is alone in Haiti as a creator of these beautiful items which are designer pieces from a master of the textile medium. If one detects a touch of magic in his work, it is to be expected, since he began making voodoo flags after a dream urging him to do so. Without a mentor, Joseph the factory worker became one of Haiti’s best-known living artists.
-30-
Friday, August 18, 2006
An Essay by Candice Russell
THIS ESSAY WAS WRITTEN in September, 2004 for a local alternative newspaper about an exhibition of Haitian art, both Vodou flags and paintings, that I curated for the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Boca Raton, Florida.
By Candice Russell
My first awareness of Haitian art came during the early 1980s in the course of a midday meal at a Washington, D.C. restaurant. Though the dining room had a low ceiling and dark wood paneling, the mood of the place was unaccountably cheerful because of paintings in bright tropical colors. Beach scenes and landscapes caught my eye and the restaurant owner explained that they were from Haiti, a place known to me only through the Steely Dan song "Haitian Divorce."
In the decades since that fateful day, I have traveled to Haiti dozens of times in pursuit of art. Collecting became a borderline obsession as I sought outstanding works by name artists in Port-au-Prince galleries. Not everything, of course, was within this journalist’s budget. I wasn’t a big-time gallery owner from New York or Paris with deep pockets or an international aid worker or a monied Japanese tourist, all of whom subsidized Haitian art with regularity. But considering Haiti’s status as the poorest country within the Western Hemisphere, as well as its reputation for fine art, it was possible to build a worthy collection on modest sums. The same is probably true today, though the sites are fewer as the gallery scene has shrunk and the conditions tougher for discovering great art.
"Sequined Surfaces: Haitian Vodou Flags" and "Paintings from the Candice Russell Collection" are two exhibitions on view now through November 7 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art (561-392-2500). Both shows bear my stamp as curator. All artworks, which come from my collections, take their inspiration from spirituality and the misunderstood world-class religion of Vodou, known pejoratively in the U.S. as "voodoo." Even the exotic word has negative connotations. Former President Ronald Reagan coined the term "voodoo economics." Hollywood B-movies have luridly associated voodoo with cannibalism, though as the religion is practiced in Haiti there is absolutely no connection.
In truth, Vodou is a combination of African tribal beliefs, brought by slaves from Africa to the island centuries ago, and Roman Catholicism, foisted on the slaves by their French colonial captors. Passed down through the generations orally, rather than in written in form, Vodou remains surprisingly complex in terms of the relationship between the gods and goddesses and the traditions used to honor them.
Attending my first Vodou ceremony in Jacmel, Haiti in 1985, I was led by the wrist by a man named Vitesse on dirt roads after dark to a thatched-roof structure near the beach. After making a small monetary donation, I sat and watched people in every-day dress sing and dance the night away for hour after hour. As the only white person, I had the feeling I was seeing the preliminary aspect of a ceremony rather than the real thing, which would probably occur the moment Vitesse walked me back to my hotel. Yet I was witness to a near-possession as a young woman in pink shorts and matching hair curlers aggressively thrust her torso in synch with the demands of an unseen spirit world.
Observing other Vodou ceremonies in Haiti over the years hardly me a veteran of the scene, as each one was so different. When my friend Ginna and I arrived in Leogane, a hotbed of Vodou, the sight of us set the people near a Vodou temple into a frenzy of excitement. They couldn’t wait to plug in their instruments, dance and sing for us. We were there at the right time of year since the end of October and the beginning of November honor the spirits of the Guede family who govern the fate of the soul after death. It’s a time revelry and celebration when men dress up as women and women dress up as men.
Before I left on this trip, a Haitian friend in Miami had warned me not to get caught up in Vodou ceremonies, a statement that made me laugh because I didn’t understand how this could possibly happen. But in this Leogane cement temple with the pulsations of the drum, the singing and the excitement, I was drawn to join in. The only thing that stopped me was my friend. I leaned over to Ginna and asked if she wanted to get up and dance. "No," she said emphatically, surprised at my reaction. So I sat and maintained the role of the outsider. To this day, I wonder what it would have been like to participate and whether the seduction of the Vodou spiritual world could have drawn me to the other side.
Vodou is an integral part of Haitian art, which also takes inspiration from daily life and fantasy. On view at the Boca Museum are paintings by masters like Wilson Bigaud, La Fortune Felix, Gerard Valcin and Prospere Pierre Louis depicting the spirits and legends associated with the religion. Bigaud shows a zombie being led from a cemetery, a myth with basis in fact about the dead brought back to life. In my very first Haitian art purchase, Felix portrays a ceremony in Gauguinesque greens and purples. Papa Zaca, the god of agriculture in hungry Haiti, fills the canvas in a painting by Valcin. The late Louis, son of a Vodou priest and a prominent member of the avant-garde Saint Soleil movement of painters, uses a primitive life form to suggest the genesis of existence. If you go to the exhibition, there are written explanations next to each work.
Artifacts used in Vodou ceremonies are displayed at the other show at the Boca museum. Vodou flags are squares of cloth elaborately sewn with sequins and beads to spell words of identification and personify Vodou gods and goddesses in either symbolic or mortal form. When sewn with ties on one side, flags are used ceremonially to welcome special guests to Vodou ceremonies. They are also unfurled to attract the spirits. Made as expensively as the resources of a Vodou community can afford, flags are glittering manifestations of faith that catch the light of candles and the attention of beings on another plane. Seen in a museum context, they are beautiful textiles of anthropological importance.
The fact that so much magnificent art has come out of Haiti is worth pondering, though not easily explained. Limited in resources and desperate to stay alive, the masses in Haiti struggle with the basics of finding shelter, food, and work on a daily basis. Many self-taught artists, as most Haitian artists are, face the same difficulties in light of political instability and a moribund tourist industry. Yet their intuitive genius for color, form and composition has created a proud legacy of art and the greatest per capita explosion of art for art’s sake in the Caribbean, if not the world.
-the end-
By Candice Russell
My first awareness of Haitian art came during the early 1980s in the course of a midday meal at a Washington, D.C. restaurant. Though the dining room had a low ceiling and dark wood paneling, the mood of the place was unaccountably cheerful because of paintings in bright tropical colors. Beach scenes and landscapes caught my eye and the restaurant owner explained that they were from Haiti, a place known to me only through the Steely Dan song "Haitian Divorce."
In the decades since that fateful day, I have traveled to Haiti dozens of times in pursuit of art. Collecting became a borderline obsession as I sought outstanding works by name artists in Port-au-Prince galleries. Not everything, of course, was within this journalist’s budget. I wasn’t a big-time gallery owner from New York or Paris with deep pockets or an international aid worker or a monied Japanese tourist, all of whom subsidized Haitian art with regularity. But considering Haiti’s status as the poorest country within the Western Hemisphere, as well as its reputation for fine art, it was possible to build a worthy collection on modest sums. The same is probably true today, though the sites are fewer as the gallery scene has shrunk and the conditions tougher for discovering great art.
"Sequined Surfaces: Haitian Vodou Flags" and "Paintings from the Candice Russell Collection" are two exhibitions on view now through November 7 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art (561-392-2500). Both shows bear my stamp as curator. All artworks, which come from my collections, take their inspiration from spirituality and the misunderstood world-class religion of Vodou, known pejoratively in the U.S. as "voodoo." Even the exotic word has negative connotations. Former President Ronald Reagan coined the term "voodoo economics." Hollywood B-movies have luridly associated voodoo with cannibalism, though as the religion is practiced in Haiti there is absolutely no connection.
In truth, Vodou is a combination of African tribal beliefs, brought by slaves from Africa to the island centuries ago, and Roman Catholicism, foisted on the slaves by their French colonial captors. Passed down through the generations orally, rather than in written in form, Vodou remains surprisingly complex in terms of the relationship between the gods and goddesses and the traditions used to honor them.
Attending my first Vodou ceremony in Jacmel, Haiti in 1985, I was led by the wrist by a man named Vitesse on dirt roads after dark to a thatched-roof structure near the beach. After making a small monetary donation, I sat and watched people in every-day dress sing and dance the night away for hour after hour. As the only white person, I had the feeling I was seeing the preliminary aspect of a ceremony rather than the real thing, which would probably occur the moment Vitesse walked me back to my hotel. Yet I was witness to a near-possession as a young woman in pink shorts and matching hair curlers aggressively thrust her torso in synch with the demands of an unseen spirit world.
Observing other Vodou ceremonies in Haiti over the years hardly me a veteran of the scene, as each one was so different. When my friend Ginna and I arrived in Leogane, a hotbed of Vodou, the sight of us set the people near a Vodou temple into a frenzy of excitement. They couldn’t wait to plug in their instruments, dance and sing for us. We were there at the right time of year since the end of October and the beginning of November honor the spirits of the Guede family who govern the fate of the soul after death. It’s a time revelry and celebration when men dress up as women and women dress up as men.
Before I left on this trip, a Haitian friend in Miami had warned me not to get caught up in Vodou ceremonies, a statement that made me laugh because I didn’t understand how this could possibly happen. But in this Leogane cement temple with the pulsations of the drum, the singing and the excitement, I was drawn to join in. The only thing that stopped me was my friend. I leaned over to Ginna and asked if she wanted to get up and dance. "No," she said emphatically, surprised at my reaction. So I sat and maintained the role of the outsider. To this day, I wonder what it would have been like to participate and whether the seduction of the Vodou spiritual world could have drawn me to the other side.
Vodou is an integral part of Haitian art, which also takes inspiration from daily life and fantasy. On view at the Boca Museum are paintings by masters like Wilson Bigaud, La Fortune Felix, Gerard Valcin and Prospere Pierre Louis depicting the spirits and legends associated with the religion. Bigaud shows a zombie being led from a cemetery, a myth with basis in fact about the dead brought back to life. In my very first Haitian art purchase, Felix portrays a ceremony in Gauguinesque greens and purples. Papa Zaca, the god of agriculture in hungry Haiti, fills the canvas in a painting by Valcin. The late Louis, son of a Vodou priest and a prominent member of the avant-garde Saint Soleil movement of painters, uses a primitive life form to suggest the genesis of existence. If you go to the exhibition, there are written explanations next to each work.
Artifacts used in Vodou ceremonies are displayed at the other show at the Boca museum. Vodou flags are squares of cloth elaborately sewn with sequins and beads to spell words of identification and personify Vodou gods and goddesses in either symbolic or mortal form. When sewn with ties on one side, flags are used ceremonially to welcome special guests to Vodou ceremonies. They are also unfurled to attract the spirits. Made as expensively as the resources of a Vodou community can afford, flags are glittering manifestations of faith that catch the light of candles and the attention of beings on another plane. Seen in a museum context, they are beautiful textiles of anthropological importance.
The fact that so much magnificent art has come out of Haiti is worth pondering, though not easily explained. Limited in resources and desperate to stay alive, the masses in Haiti struggle with the basics of finding shelter, food, and work on a daily basis. Many self-taught artists, as most Haitian artists are, face the same difficulties in light of political instability and a moribund tourist industry. Yet their intuitive genius for color, form and composition has created a proud legacy of art and the greatest per capita explosion of art for art’s sake in the Caribbean, if not the world.
-the end-
Sunday, August 13, 2006
GALLERY FOR SALE
The Haitian Art Company, in business in Key West, Florida since 1977, is for sale. Owner Boris Kravitz, who lives in Haiti, is selling the historic corner property with residence upstairs for $1.6 million. That includes $1 million in inventory. One can only hope that the buyer maintains the gallery as the Haitian Art Company and doesn't sell it to a condo developer, remaindering the artwork to a wholesale buyer who couldn't care less for it. Kravitz is known for discovering artists and selling paintings next to photos of the artists, whom he knows personally. The gallery is in the midst of a major sale. If interested in purchasing the gallery, telephone (305) 296-8932 or visit the website www.haitian-art-co.com. Or email for a prospectus at HaitianArtCompany@gmail.com.
Candice Russell
Candice Russell
HAITIAN ART THRIVES
Dispite political unrest, the business of Haitian art thrives. Thank you to all the members of the Haitian Art Society, a gathering of collectors, gallery owners and museum officials from around the U.S., who came to my home in mid-May as part of a weekend-long South Florida visit. All attended the show "Allegories of Haitian Life: The Collection of Jonathan Demme" at the Bass Museum on Miami Beach, a show I co-curated with Axelle Liautaud. The one and only venue for the show was this one, so the opportunity to view the private holdings of major art collector and film director Demme was indeed special.
I met new friends from the Haitian Art Society like Bill Bollendorf of Pittsburgh and Kent Shankle of the Waterloo Center for the Arts in Waterloo, Iowa, which has a dedicated space for Haitian art and a large permanent collection of it as well. I saw old friends too, like super-collectors Beverly Sullivan of Washington, D.C. and Ed Gessen of southern California. Between the champagne and the Italian meatballs, the group that arrived on a Greyhound bus in front of my suburban home had a lot to see and talk about. But the visit of these Haitian art lovers was brief -- only 90 minutes before they headed back to Miami and dinner at Tap-Tap Restaurant on South Beach, where Haitian art is on the walls in wonderful murals and on painted furniture. The menu's deliciously Haitian.
Candice Russell
haitianna.com
I met new friends from the Haitian Art Society like Bill Bollendorf of Pittsburgh and Kent Shankle of the Waterloo Center for the Arts in Waterloo, Iowa, which has a dedicated space for Haitian art and a large permanent collection of it as well. I saw old friends too, like super-collectors Beverly Sullivan of Washington, D.C. and Ed Gessen of southern California. Between the champagne and the Italian meatballs, the group that arrived on a Greyhound bus in front of my suburban home had a lot to see and talk about. But the visit of these Haitian art lovers was brief -- only 90 minutes before they headed back to Miami and dinner at Tap-Tap Restaurant on South Beach, where Haitian art is on the walls in wonderful murals and on painted furniture. The menu's deliciously Haitian.
Candice Russell
haitianna.com
Haiti - Not Safe!
August 13, 2006
Now is not the time to visit Haiti, unless you are accompanied by armed guards like the United Nations' Kofi Annan. Ordinary residents, including foreigners who have been in Haiti for decades, are being kidnapped or, worse, murdered according to recent reports in the Miami Herald. Canadian missionary Ed Hughes, who runs an orphanage, was taken from his home in a town north of Port-au-Prince in late June, held for ransom and eventually released. He decided to return to Canada rather than remain in Haiti, putting himself and his orphanage at further risk. What will happen to the 120 children he fed and supported every day? No one knows. It is unlikely that fellow Canadians will rush to fill the breach. In May of this year, 29 people were kidnapped in the capital, according to the United Nations peacekeeping mission. That number rose to an alarming 49 kidnap victims in July, including the sixty-something wife of an Italian man. He was brutalized, tied and beaten death as his wife was led away to captivity. Eventually, she was released after her family paid an undisclosed sum of money.
Candice Russell
Now is not the time to visit Haiti, unless you are accompanied by armed guards like the United Nations' Kofi Annan. Ordinary residents, including foreigners who have been in Haiti for decades, are being kidnapped or, worse, murdered according to recent reports in the Miami Herald. Canadian missionary Ed Hughes, who runs an orphanage, was taken from his home in a town north of Port-au-Prince in late June, held for ransom and eventually released. He decided to return to Canada rather than remain in Haiti, putting himself and his orphanage at further risk. What will happen to the 120 children he fed and supported every day? No one knows. It is unlikely that fellow Canadians will rush to fill the breach. In May of this year, 29 people were kidnapped in the capital, according to the United Nations peacekeeping mission. That number rose to an alarming 49 kidnap victims in July, including the sixty-something wife of an Italian man. He was brutalized, tied and beaten death as his wife was led away to captivity. Eventually, she was released after her family paid an undisclosed sum of money.
Candice Russell
Monday, August 07, 2006
Possessed: The Art of Haiti
Haitian Art Exhibition that I Curated at Coral Springs Museum of Art
By Candice Russell
When most people think of Haitian art, what comes to mind are island paintings in bold tropical colors depicting scenes of daily life. While primitive paintings have found a large and popular following in the U.S. and other countries, Haiti is getting to be well-known for other forms of artistic expression. These alternative media including metal sculptures and beautifully embellished textiles are showcased in a new exhibition "Possessed: The Art of Haiti" at the Coral Springs Museum of Art now until August 19.
The vibrant and informative show explores the tradition and meaning behind the metal sculptures crafted from recycling the metal from oil drums. This art form grew out of the discovery of iron crosses in the cemetery in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, a small town located an hour’s drive from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The maker of the crosses with curlicues and other adornments was Georges Liautaud (1899-1991), who was encouraged to use steel, metal, brass and iron for other purposes than honoring the dead. The results were magical. Liautaud made angels, figures from comical stories, animals, crucifixions and personages from the Haitian religion of Vodou.
The bulk of the metal sculptures at the museum belong to Montreal, Canada resident Emeraude Michel-Jara, the widow of important Haitian art dealer Dr. Carlos Jara. These rare works are a testament to Dr. Jara’s friendships with artists in Haiti including metal masters Serge Jolimeau, Gabriel Bien-Aime, Luce Turnier and Lionel Saint-Eloi. Some artists in the show prefer to adorn their metal sculptures with coats of paint to add shadow, texture and personality to their creations. Whimsical examples include "Big Fish" by Christobal and "Cats in a Tree" by Norbert.
Sharing the stage in "Possessed" are sacred squares of cloth meticulously hand-sewn with sequins and beads to honor the spirits of Haitian Vodou. For that reason, they serve a purpose that is more than decorative. Used by Americans as wall hangings or pillow covers, Vodou flags can be figurative or symbolic in representing the male and female spirits who control all aspects of life, from the fertility of crops to successful romances. Made to be as expensive as the resources of a community will allow, these flags are glittering manifestations of faith.
Thirteen artists who make Vodou flags are found at the Coral Springs Museum of Art including Clotaire Bazile, known for his traditional portrayal of the spirits, and the late Antoine Oleyant, who used the cloth more as a painter in his free-handed creations. Amena Simeon, one of the growing number of women artists in this medium, is represented by "Couzin Zaka," the bare-footed spirit of agriculture wearing a jaunty hat. Other examples by Prospere Pierre Louis and Wagler Vital, known primarily as painters, demonstrate the validity of translating their visions from canvas to another kind of cloth plus embellishment.
As a tribute to Haitian art, "Possessed" is cause for speculation and wonder. All the works in the exhibition are from untrained artists who never studied form, composition or color. All labored under the most difficult conditions in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere to create art for generations to come.
-30-
By Candice Russell
When most people think of Haitian art, what comes to mind are island paintings in bold tropical colors depicting scenes of daily life. While primitive paintings have found a large and popular following in the U.S. and other countries, Haiti is getting to be well-known for other forms of artistic expression. These alternative media including metal sculptures and beautifully embellished textiles are showcased in a new exhibition "Possessed: The Art of Haiti" at the Coral Springs Museum of Art now until August 19.
The vibrant and informative show explores the tradition and meaning behind the metal sculptures crafted from recycling the metal from oil drums. This art form grew out of the discovery of iron crosses in the cemetery in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, a small town located an hour’s drive from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The maker of the crosses with curlicues and other adornments was Georges Liautaud (1899-1991), who was encouraged to use steel, metal, brass and iron for other purposes than honoring the dead. The results were magical. Liautaud made angels, figures from comical stories, animals, crucifixions and personages from the Haitian religion of Vodou.
The bulk of the metal sculptures at the museum belong to Montreal, Canada resident Emeraude Michel-Jara, the widow of important Haitian art dealer Dr. Carlos Jara. These rare works are a testament to Dr. Jara’s friendships with artists in Haiti including metal masters Serge Jolimeau, Gabriel Bien-Aime, Luce Turnier and Lionel Saint-Eloi. Some artists in the show prefer to adorn their metal sculptures with coats of paint to add shadow, texture and personality to their creations. Whimsical examples include "Big Fish" by Christobal and "Cats in a Tree" by Norbert.
Sharing the stage in "Possessed" are sacred squares of cloth meticulously hand-sewn with sequins and beads to honor the spirits of Haitian Vodou. For that reason, they serve a purpose that is more than decorative. Used by Americans as wall hangings or pillow covers, Vodou flags can be figurative or symbolic in representing the male and female spirits who control all aspects of life, from the fertility of crops to successful romances. Made to be as expensive as the resources of a community will allow, these flags are glittering manifestations of faith.
Thirteen artists who make Vodou flags are found at the Coral Springs Museum of Art including Clotaire Bazile, known for his traditional portrayal of the spirits, and the late Antoine Oleyant, who used the cloth more as a painter in his free-handed creations. Amena Simeon, one of the growing number of women artists in this medium, is represented by "Couzin Zaka," the bare-footed spirit of agriculture wearing a jaunty hat. Other examples by Prospere Pierre Louis and Wagler Vital, known primarily as painters, demonstrate the validity of translating their visions from canvas to another kind of cloth plus embellishment.
As a tribute to Haitian art, "Possessed" is cause for speculation and wonder. All the works in the exhibition are from untrained artists who never studied form, composition or color. All labored under the most difficult conditions in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere to create art for generations to come.
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