Hector Hyppolite

Considered as the "Grand Maître of Haitian Art"[1] Born in Saint-Marc, Hyppolite was a third generation Vodou priest, or oungan.

[2] Although he later claimed those years had been spent in Africa, such as Dahomey and Ethiopia, scholars regard that as more likely an instance of promotional myth-making than factual.

[2] There, Hyppolite worked in the studio run by Dewitt Peters, a water-colorist and schoolteacher from the United States who had come to Haiti to teach the English language as part of the Good Neighbor Policy.

[3] Before arriving at the Centre d'Art Hyppolite had painted upon cardboard using chicken feathers and sold to visiting United States Marines because he owned no brushes.

[4] Hyppolite, a prolific painter, typically depicted Vodou scenes and created between 250 and 600 paintings during the last three years of his life.