Celebrating Haitian Art

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In honor of Haitian Heritage Month — here are just a few of the many talented Haitian artists worth appreciating.

Fritzner Alphonse, Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60 cm.

Fritzner Alphonse (1938 – 2006) was born in Port-au-Price, Haiti. He first worked as a leather tanner until 1974, then was introduced to painting by the famous Haitian artist Henri Calixte. His favorite subjects are female black figures. His work has been exhibited in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Fritzner Alphonse, Elegant Lady with Hat, oil on canvas, 25 in. x 30 in.

Henri Calixte (1933 – 2010) was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His first job was as a telegraph operator. He was a member of the Centre d’Art from 1955 to 1959, then left to study independently. In the mid 60’s he joined the Galerie Monnin, and became interested in impressionism and cubism, particularly the work of Braque and Seurat. He began to experiment with razor blades as a means of applying the paint, then moved on to painting exclusively with a palette knife. He is one of the master painters of Haiti and has inspired and trained many students, including Lamothe, Dreux, Cameau Rameau and Hilome Jose.

Henri Calixte, Untitled, n.d., Acrylic on Canvas.

Calixte Henry, Chair/ Pigeon, 16″x12″, Acrylic on Canvas

Henri Calixte, Heading Home, oil on canvas, 11” x 16”, 28 x 41 cm.

Henri Calixte, Birds and Flowers, oil on canvas, 24″h X 30″w.

Louisiane Saint Fleurant(1924–2005) was born in Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, Haiti. Along with Prospere Pierre-Louis, Dieuseul Paul, Denis Smith, and Levoy Exil, she formed the renowned Cinq Soleil (Five Suns) art movement. The Five Suns group formed out of the Saint Soleil movement, of which Louisiane was the only female artist. She was not formally trained in art and only began painting in her late 40s. Saint Fleurant’s paintings often depict primitive maternal scenes of females, children, trees, wildlife, and Haitian Vodou Loas. Her folk painting style is often colorful and vibrant and expresses a distinct female perspective on the Saint Soleil movement and Haitian Vodou art.

Louisiane St. Fleurant “Family,” 1988, Oil on masonite, Framed, 24 1/2″ x 23 1/2″.

Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Family, 1987, acrylic on canvas, 24” x 24”, 61 x 61 cm.

Louisiane St. Fleurant, “Famille,” Female Figural Group, 1985, oil on board, 120.65 x 107.95 cm. (47.5 x 42.5 in.).

Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Untitled, Four Women, n.d., acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 inche

Myrlande Constant, born in 1969 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is a textile artist who specializes in Vodou-themed flags, or drapo Vodou. She has expanded on an older, male-dominated cultural practice of drapo Vodou (Vodou flags)—a dazzling component of Afro-Haitian religious regalia—which are typically made with sequins and focus on individual figures or motifs. Constant “paints with beads,” which significantly enlarges her representational repertory. She depicts lwa (Vodou spirits), Catholic saints, and regular people in meticulously detailed scenes of religious ceremonies, key moment in Haitian history, and everyday life.

Myrlande Constant, Dahoumin Erzulie Freda, 2010, Beads on textile, 26 3/5 × 27 2/5 in.

Myrlande Constant, Saint Nicholas de Bari, 2019, Beads and sequins on cotton and silk, 76 x 72 in.

Myrlande Constant, Anacaona, 1995, hand-woven pearl flag, 59 1/8 x 59 1/8 in, 150 x 150 cm

Philomé Obin, (July 20, 1892 – August 6, 1986), a pivotal figure in the Cap-Haïtian school, focused on depicting Haitian society and daily life in his work. Alongside others, he helped Haitian art blossom in the mid-20th-century, and was awarded the highest government honor for his contributions to the country’s arts by Haiti’s president in 1976. Obin’s street scenes depict energetic interactions between figures of different social classes, and feature vibrant backgrounds filled with colorful buildings and public squares surrounded by clear skies and lush vegetation.

Philome Obin, Paysans Sortant et Allant au Marche, 1953

Philome Obin, Sur la route du Haut-du-Cap, 1962

Philomé Obin, Cap-Haitien Carnival, 1964, Oil on masonite, 20 × 30 in.

Philomé Obin, A Passionate Guitarist, n.d., oil on Masonite, 22 1/2 × 27 inches (57.2 × 68.6 cm).

Luce Turnier(1924–1995) was a pioneering Haitian modernist born in Jacmel, Haiti. She was among the few women artists associated with the early years of Haiti’s Centre d’Art. Her early presence within the Centre placed her at the heart of the movement that brought Haitian art to international attention, while her artistic direction challenged the stereotypes that quickly formed around what Haitian painting “should” look like. In the 1950s, she left Haiti on scholarships to study in New York and later in Paris. During this period, she began to experiment with abstraction and collage, expanding her visual language while remaining grounded in Haitian identity.

Luce Turnier, Portrait of a woman, 1949, oil on canvas, 34 5/8 x 19 5/8 in.

Luce Turnier, Aubergines, n.d., oil on canvas, 30” X 36″

Rose-Marie Desruisseau (1954 – 1988), was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and won many awards in Haiti for her works. She studied under the direction of Amerigo Montagutelli and Geo Remponeau at Haiti’s Academy of Fine Arts, then worked in the studio of Petion Savain. After gaining an interest in Vodou in the 1960s, Desruisseau began to include themes of Vodou in her work, with a view to raising the status of ancestral Vodou traditions. After studying ethnography from 1967 to 1972, she began teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1977

Rose-Marie Desruisseau, Colors, n.d., Watercolor on Paper, 11.5 x 10.75 in.

Philippe Dodard (born 1954, Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is a Haitian graphic artist, painter, and multidisciplinary creator known for angular, architectonic compositions that organize space without conventional perspective. He studied at the PotoMitan Art School with leading Haitian artists Jean-Claude “Tiga” Garoute, Patrick Vilaire, and Frido Casimir. In 1973, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts and later worked as a layout artist, eventually founding an audiovisual and graphic arts studio. Over time, Dodard’s artistic practice expanded beyond painting to include large-scale sculpture, fine ironwork, and jewelry design.

Philippe Dodard, Paroles en Couleur, Rituel et Identité, 2026, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 × 20 in | 61 × 50.8 cm

Philippe Dodard, Blue Abstract, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 48″x36″.

Philippe Dodard, Passage, n.d.

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988), was born in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His mother, Matilde Andrades Basquiat, was also born in Brooklyn, to Puerto Rican parents, and his father, Gérard Basquiat, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A self-taught painter, Basquiat started as a graffiti artist under the alias ‘SAMO’ with cohort Al Diaz, and rose to success during the 1980’s as part of the Neo-Expressionist movement. He used social commentary in his paintings as a tool for introspection and for identifying with his experiences in the black community, as well as attacks on power structures and systems of racism. Since his death in 1988, at the age of 27, his work has steadily increased in value.

Jean-Michael Basquiat, Max Roach BeBop, 1984, acrylic and wax crayon on canvas, 60 × 60 inches (152.4 × 152.4 cm).

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bird On Money, 1981, acrylic and oil on canvas, 66 × 90 inches (167.6 × 228.6 cm). (Tribute to jazz musician Charlie Parker).

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Justcome Suit, 1983, acrylic, oilstick and colored Xerox collage on canvas, 103 by 201 cm., 40½ by 79⅛ in.

Genevieve Lahens Esper, (b. 1959), known as IRIS, was born in Port-au-Prince, and is a Haitian Modernist who studied at L’Ecole Beaux-Art in Paris, earning a degree in architecture. As a young girl in Haiti, she absorbed the country’s colors, sights, and moods. In her art, she has never left home…” You read so much about what is bad in Haiti, but I can tell you, there is joy in that place,” says Esper. “And there is much beauty.” (Sun Sentinel, 2001)

Genevieve Lahens Esper (IRIS), The Drummer, 1998, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30

Genevieve Lahens Esper (IRIS), Porteuse de Fruits, 1996, Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Albott Bonhomme (born 1963, Port-de-Paix, Haiti) is celebrated for his vibrant tropical bird paintings set within lush, oasis-like forest environments. A self-taught painter who turned professional in 1990, Bonhomme has developed a signature style that blends meticulous wildlife detail with richly layered natural landscapes. His distinctive compositions have made him one of the most recognized Haitian contemporary painters abroad.

Albott Bonhomme, Birds & Vegetation, Acrylic on Canvas, 60 x 40 in, 152.4 x 101.6 cm

Albott Bonhomme, Birds & Cascades -Tripthych (3-24″x48″), Acrylic on Canvas.

Albott Bonhomme, Three Birds In Lush Forest With Cascade + Trees, 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 20 in, 60.96 x 50.8 cm

Jean-Adrien Seide (born November 18, 1956, Les Cayes, Haiti) is a self-taught Haitian painter known for his structured landscape compositions. After relocating to Venezuela following his father’s death, he continued to develop a style deeply rooted in the landscapes of Haiti. His work draws inspiration from the Artibonite River, the mountains of Jacmel, and the waterfalls of Saut Mathurin and Péligre.

Jean Adrien Seide, Haiti From Above, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 60 inches.

Jean Adrien Seide,Islands, 2000 – 2016, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 in.

Jean Adrien Seide, On Their Way to the Market by the Water, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 in.

Jean-Adrien Seide, Woman Seller Walking At Sunset In The Mountains & Water View, 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 8 × 10 in.

Jean Adrien Seide, Lush Haitian Landscape, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 48 in

Patricia Brintle (b. 1946) was born and raised in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1964. Although she has made the U.S. her residence, her colorful style reflects her native land. “My art reflects life,” she says. “A positive life full of bright vibrant colors.” That focus on strong colors is inspired by Haiti’s brilliant sunshine. Working in acrylics on canvas and wood, Brintle uses the saturated tones acrylics provide to give each painting a sunlit presence. Brintle is also the president of From Here to Haiti, Ltd. (FHTH), a non-profit all-volunteer charity doing repair work in Haiti, and donates most of the proceeds from the sale of her artworks to FHTH.

Patricia Brintle, Madame Dessalines (Merciful Intercession) (2019). Acrylic on Canvas, 40×30 in.

Patricia Brintle, ‘Sanité Belair‘ (2021). Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 30 in.

Patricia Brintle, ‘Catherine Flon‘ (2021). Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 30 in.

Patricia Brintle, ‘Marie-Jeanne Lamartiniere‘ (2012). Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 26 in.

Ulrick Jean-Pierre (b. 1955), was born in Roseaux, Haiti, and began drawing at age four and painting by age sixteen. He trained under Haitian masters at the Foyer des Arts Plastiques in Port-au-Prince, including Louverture Poisson, Rosemarie Desruisseaux, René and Lavorancy Exumé, Enguerrand Gourgue, and Archibald Lochard. Jean-Pierre’s paintings interpret the essential elements of Haitian history and culture through a lens that bridges past and present and connects Haiti to the world. He is currently based in Atlanta.