Prospère Pierre-Louis

Place: Bainet

Born: 1947

Death: 1997

Biography:

Prospère Pierre-Louis was a Haitian artist, painter; and one of the main contributors to the Saint Soleil art movement. His paintings depicting mystical Vodou lwa and spirits are especially noteworthy. Pierre-Louis was born in Bainet, Haiti in 1947. He did not have any formal schooling, but taught himself to play the drums and the violin. As a child he assisted his father, a houngan, in preparing Haitian Vodou ceremonies. At the age of 16 he moved to Port-au-Prince. Later, while working as a waiter at the home of Maud Robard, he joined the Saint Soleil commune organized by Robard and Jean-Claude Garoute, which united a variety of poor artists including singers, dancers, craftsmen, and painters into the movement. Pierre-Louis followed Robard to the community at Soisson-la-Montagne on the mountain above LaBoule and eventually became the most prominent painter in the group. The Saint Soleil group disbanded in 1978, but five of the artists—Pierre-Louis, Levoy Exil, Denis Smith, Dieuseul Paul, and Louisiane Saint Fleurant—reorganized into the group 'Cinq Soleils'. After years of labor Pierre-Louis's technique greatly evolved and he became a prominent and respected member of the local art community. His flourishing career came to an abrupt end when he died prematurely of an asthma attack in November 1997.