Naif Art in Haiti Affected By Earthquake, Too

The following is a translation from my friend Glenda Galán's blog post "Arte Entre Escombros", about the unfortunate current moment in Naif Art, in Haiti. You can see Glenda Galan's Blog Posts at http://glendagalan.blogspot.com/

(Approximate translation of "Arte Entre Escombros", a blog post in spanish by Glenda Galán, http://glendagalan.blogspot.com/)


"Art Among Debris"

It filled me with great sorrow to read in these days that the best from Haiti's cultural heritage was lost in the earthquake of January 12. The best world's collection in Naif Art exists no more.

Only around 400 oils have been rescued from the 15,000 that were part of Museum Nader of Naif Art. In addition, nothing is known about the luck of several Haitian artists and their artwork which they kept in their studios.

The only survivor was a minimal part of the artwork from great national artists, such as Héctor Hyfolite, Philomé Obin, Valcin, Benoit and Wilson Bignud. But the legacy from other important creators has been buried for ever. In Haiti, the Art lies, too, among debris.

* Naif painting is a synthesis of French Art and the Popular style born in XIX in Haiti, and evolutioned from its African origin. In XX, this style is outlined as characteristically Haitian, standing out in native and national themes, with local customs scenes and very bright colors.

See original post in spanish by Glenda Galan, at http://glendagalan.blogspot.com/