Franklyn Gile LatortueFête Patronale(Feast of the Patron Saint), n.d.

Image Courtesy of the Figge Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Walter E. Neiswanger, M.D.,

1967.0013

In 1967, the Figge Art Museum, formerly the Davenport Museum of Art, established its permanent collection of Haitian art. It consisted of 19 works donated by local physician and Davenport native, Dr. Walter E. Neiswanger. At that time, this group of paintings constituted the first permanent collection of Haitian art in any art museum outside Haiti. Since 1967, contributions from Dr. Neiswanger and other generous benefactors have supported the acquisition of additional Haitian works. The collection now consists of nearly 200 pieces, including vodou flags, decorative arts, paintings, and sculpture. The Figge Art Museum has become a major center for the exhibition of Haitian art within the United States, creating a strong connection between Davenport, Iowa and this Caribbean country.

Haitian art has a rich and complex history. After independence, Haiti’s artists either studied abroad or had foreign instructors, and art was reserved for the elite. In 1944, the country’s foremost center of arts instruction, Le Centre d’Art, was founded. Since the late 1940s, Haiti has become known for the work of its self-taught artists. This artwork has been referred to as "naive" or "folk" art, and has often been misunderstood as "primitive." Due to Haiti’s volatile political history, many artists have chosen to live abroad. Those artists and the ones who remain in Haiti continue to reflect different methods of training, multiple influences, and a creative use of materials demonstrating the vast richness of their creative abilities and the passion for their country and its history.

Figge Art Museum collects art by such remarkable Haitian artists such as Serge Jolimeau, Philomé Obin, Hector Hyppolite, and Franklyn Gile Latortue to name a few.

Besides Haitian art, Figge Art Museum collects American, European, Mexican-Colonial and Asian art, and has over 3,500 artworks in its collection.

About the paintings shown on right:

Top right

Birds, Flowers, and Pink Basket

Hector Hyppolite is one of Haiti’s most well-known artists. His style is characterized by bright, warm colors and shapes outlined in bold black lines. The artist used brushes, as well as his fingers and chicken feathers, to create texture. The birds illustrated in this painting represent the real, natural world, whereas the flowers surrounding them are symbols of eternal life. The remaining negative space refers to the great beyond.

Middle right

Le Sauveur du Monde (Savior of the World)

Several Haitian artists are known for their allegorical works featuring animals. In this painting, a wagonload of tied animals, which may represent various sins, is being carted to Gehenna (literally in Hebrew, Valley of Hinnom). The destination, "Gehenne" or hell, is identified on a fence post in the lower right of the painting. The cart, pulled by a lamb wearing a necklace of thorns, may be a reference to Christ.

Bottom right

Zonbies

The zonbi character is central to Haitian folklore and religious fraternities known as secret societies. It articulates a memory of the loss of control over self, suffered during the period of slavery. In this painting, the zonbi has further reference to the physical labor of slaves on Haitian plantations. Modern images of the zonbi are

references to distorted relationships between those in power and those who remain enslaved by poverty.

For more information, visit Figge Art Museum. The museum is located at 225 West Second Street, Davenport, Iowa 52801. Phone: 1.563.326.7804.