Murat Brierre or Murat Briere (1938–1988) was one of Haiti's principal metal sculptors [1] and was known for his recycling of surplus oil drum lids. [2] He was influenced by George Liautaud, but his work acquired its own highly experimental style, often focusing on multi-faceted and conjoined figures, fantastically personified elements, and unborn babies visible within larger creatures. [3]
Early life and career
Brierre worked as a brick mason, cabinetmaker, tile setter, and blacksmith. [4] He was born in Mirebalais or Port-au-Prince, [5] Haiti and was the younger of two brothers. [4] His older brother, Edgar Brierre, was a painter and sculptor. The brother's signed their works with only their last name, creating some confusion within their professional circles about the authorship of their work. [4]
Brierre's sculptures typically ranged from three to six feet in length and reflected Christian, Haitian Vodou, and folklore themes. [4] Brierre was also a painter, but ultimately chose to work with metal because he felt that the material was saturated with spiritual energy. [6] It was a laborious process. The oil drum lids were hammered flat, drawn onto, then cut with a razor. The sheet was then cut with a chisel before finishing was completed with a file. [4] By the mid1970s, Brierre's sculptures included pronounced areas of cut outs surrounding long curved lines of metal. [4] Brierre's iron sculpture titled Chien de Mer overlays a dog head onto the body of a fish. [7]
Solo exhibitions
1967 – Haitian Art Gallery, New York [8]
1968 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Bradley Galleries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Georgetown Graphics Gallery, Washington D.C.; Menschoff Gallery, Chicago; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Roko Gallery, New York [8]
1969 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Showcase Gallery, Washington D.C.; Botolph Group, Boston [8]
1970 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti [8]
1971 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti [8]
1972 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Roko Gallery, New York [8]
1973 – Centre d'Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti [8]
1979 – Areta Contemporary Design, Boston [8]
Group exhibitions
1969 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa [9]
1974 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa [9]
1978 – Brooklyn Museum, New York (traveling) [9]
1980 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa [9]
1982 – Studio Museum in Harlem, New York [9]
1983 – Chicago Public Library Cultural Center [9]
1985 – Davenport Art Gallery, Iowa [9]
1987 – Musée du Panthéon National, Port-au-Prince, Haiti [9]
1988 – Galeries Nationales d'Exposition du Grand Palais, Paris [9]
1989 – Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida [9]
2006 – Phyllis Kind Gallery in conjunction with the Outsider Art Fair, New York [10]
Works of art
L'Araignée (The Spider), 1970, iron [11]
Bawon Samdi, 1970, iron [11]
Christ sur la Croix (Christ on the Cross), 1970, iron [11]
Four Sirens, 1966, iron [11]
Ogou, 1970, iron [11]
Le Sagittaire en Démon (Sagittarius and Demon), no date, iron [11]
Visage en Fer (Face in Iron), 1965, iron [11]
References
- ^ "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Phyllis Kind Gallery. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
-
^ DeLoughrey, Elizabeth M., 1967- (9 May 2019).
Allegories of the Anthropocene. Durham.
ISBN
978-1-4780-0558-2.
OCLC
1081380012.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link) - ^ "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^
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b
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f
St. James guide to Black artists. Riggs, Thomas, 1963-, Dodson, Howard,, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit. 1997.
ISBN
1-55862-220-9.
OCLC
36470125.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link) - ^ Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture. p. 109. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
- ^ "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ "Visual Arts". The Crisis. 97 (8): 51. October 1990.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
St. James guide to Black artists. Riggs, Thomas, 1963-, Dodson, Howard,, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit. 1997.
ISBN
1-55862-220-9.
OCLC
36470125.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link) - ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
St. James guide to Black artists. Riggs, Thomas, 1963-, Dodson, Howard,, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit. 1997.
ISBN
1-55862-220-9.
OCLC
36470125.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link) - ^ "A Collection of Haitian Iron Works". Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Davenport Museum of Art (Davenport, Iowa) (1995). Tracing the spirit : ethnographic essays on Haitian art : from the collection of the Davenport Museum of Art. Brown, Karen McCarthy. Davenport, Iowa: The Museum. ISBN 0-295-97504-0. OCLC 34524490.
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