André Pierre 1916-2005

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André Pierre 1916-2005

24 Sep 2005

André Pierre 1916-2005

by AFisher

André Pierre, one of the giants of Haitian art, has joined the spirits. A houngan or vodou priest in the village of Croix-des-Missions, he became one of Haiti's greatest painters, considered by many the artistic heir to the houngan master painter, Hector Hyppolite. He was a farmer and an active vodou practitioner before being introduced to the Centre d'Art in the late 1940's by film-maker Maya Deren, who had admired his temple wall paintings and decorated gourd bowls. He devoted his painting career to visualizing and honoring the loas of the vodou pantheon

We visited André in his houmfor (vodou temple) in the village of Croix-des-Missions in 1991. He gave us a tour of the shrines devoted to each of the loas, and talked to us while he painted. As protocol dictated, we left him with a bottle of powerful clairin "for the spirits". You may read a more complete biography and remembrances of Andre Pierre on the Haitian Art Society website.